-ELIZABETH'S^ 


S  T  Rl N  G 


•Jr. 


C   O  .R  A  • 


FORBES 


OF  CALIF.  LIBRARY,  LOS  ANGELES 


Elizabeth's   Charm-String 


Elizabeth's  Charm-String 


By 
Cora  B.  Forbes 


Illustrated  from  Photograph* 


Boston 

Little,  Brown,  and  Company 
1903 


Copyright,  1903, 
BY  LITTLE,  BROWN,  AND  COMPANY. 


All  rlghtt  reserved 
Published   October,  1903 


UNIVERSITY    PRESS     •    JOHN    WILSON 
AND    SON    •    CAMBRIDGE,     U.S.A 


TO 

MY    SISTER 

IN     LOVING    AND    GRATEFUL     REMEMBRANCE    OF 

MANY    DELIGHTFUL     DAYS    SPENT    IN 

VISITING    THE    BIRTH-PLACES 

OF    THESE    LEGENDS 


2129433 


P  REFACE 


FAR     cleverer     pens     than     mine 
have  written  and  rewritten  these 
charming  old  legends,  so  that  the 
only  claim  to  originality  this  volume  pos- 
sesses lies  possibly  in  my  arrangement  of 
the  stones  for  juvenile  readers  ;  and  the 
pleasure   I  have  given  by   relating  them 
to  my  personal  circle  of  young  friends  is 
my  excuse  for  offering  them  to   a  larger 
audience. 

I  have  made  no  attempt  whatever  to 
teach  History,  or  rather,  — as  Mrs.  Jame- 
son expresses  it, —  "to  separate  Historic 
Truth  and  Poetic  Fiction."  At  the  same 
time,  I  hope  that  familiarity  with  these 
legends  will  afford  both  pleasure  and 
profit,  since  at  least  a  "  bowing  acquaint- 
ance "  with  legendary  lore  is  necessary 
before  a  person  can  really  enjoy  the  Art 
Galleries  of  Europe. 


Vll 


Preface 

In  preparing  the  legends,  many  author- 
ities were  consulted  and  compared.  The 
English  translation  of  Voragine's  "  Le- 
genda  Aurea,"  Butler's  "  Lives  of  the 
Saints,"  the  publications  of  the  Folk  Lore 
Society,  compilations  of  legends  for  the 
use  of  students  or  of  tourists,Mrs.  Jameson's 
"Sacred  and  Legendary  Art,"  and,  I  may 
add,  stories  told  to  me  by  local  guides  in 
various  cities  of  the  Old  World,  were  all 
sources  of  help. 

Occasionally  I  found  several  versions — 
sometimes  contradictory  — '-  of  the  same 
incident :  in  such  cases  I  usually  followed 
the  accounts  given  by  Mrs.  Jameson,  or 
by  Miss  H.  A.  Giierber,  because  the  ver- 
sions chosen  by  these  authors  "  are  the 
ones  upon  which  the  Artists  of  the  Middle 
Ages  based  their  representations  of  the 
subjects." 

C.  B.  F. 


via 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PACK 

I.    A  DISAPPOINTING  LETTER i 

II.    AN  INVITATION  TO  A  GAME  OF  "BUTTON, 

BUTTON,  WHO  's  GOT  THE  BUTTON  ? "    .  6 

III.  A  MEDICI  BUTTON-BOX  AND  ITS  LEGENDS  11 

IV.  THE  WINGED  LION  OF  SAINT  MARK"  .     .  22 
V.    THE  LADY'S  SAND 34 

VI.    THE  DOGE  AND  THE  FISHERMAN     ...  44 
VII.    SAINT  GEORGE  AND  THE  DRAGON  —  THE 
DOGE'S  BONNET  —  SAINT  NICHOLAS  OF 

BARI 53 

VIII.     THE  IMP  OF  LINCOLN 65 

IX.    THE    SANTISSIMO    BAMBINO  —  THE    MA- 
DONNA OF  SAN  AGOSTINO 71 

X.     THE  LEGEND  OF  SAINT  URSULA      ...  86 

XI.     THE  EVIL  EYE  AND  THE  LUCK  CHARMS  .  103 

XII.    THE  LEGEND  OF  COLOGNE  CATHEDRAL    .  no 

XIII.  THE  LEGEND  OF  THE  TRUE  CROSS  .    .     .  124 

XIV.  THE  LEGEND  OF  THE  WOODPECKER  —  THE 

OBELISK  OF  THE  VATICAN 148 

XV.    THE  LEGEND  OF  SAINT  GENEVIEVE      .     .  158 
ix 


Contents 


CHAPTER  PACK 

XVI.     THE  TUN  OF  HEIDELBERG  —  PERKEO  THE 

DWARF  —  THE  MOUSE-TOWER      .     .     .     172 

XVII.     THE  LEGEND  OF  SAINT  CHRISTOPHER  .     .     187 

XVIII.     THE  LORELEI  LEGEND    .......    200 

XIX.     THE  DOVES  OF  VENICE  —  THE   LION  OF 
LUCERNE  —  THE    MONKEY'S    TOWER  — 
HILDA'S  TOWER  —  THE  DURHAM  KNOCK- 
ER —  THE    IRON    VIRGIN  —  THE    CROSS 
OF  SAINT   BERNARD  —  MONTE-DI-PIETA 
—  THE  LITTLE  CORPORAL    .....    212 

XX.    $HE  BIRTHDAY  PARTY    .......    235 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


FULL-PAGE 

Figure  of  St.  George,  by  Donatello Frontispiece 

Church  and  Campanile  of  St.  Mark's,  Venice    Facing  page  30 
Doge  and   Fisherman,  from  the  painting  by 

Paris  Bordone „  „      50 

The  Madonna  of  Saint  Agostino „  ,,83 

The  Funeral  of  Saint  Ursula,  from  the  paint- 
ing by  V.  Carpaccio „  „    102 

Cologne  Cathedral „  ,,122 

The  Cross  appearing  in  the  Sky  to  Constantine 

and  his  Army,  from  the  painting  by  Raphael    „  „    134 

View  of  St.  Peter's,  Rome „  „    153 

The  Mouse  Tower  on  the  Rhine      ....      „  „    180 

St.  Christopher,  from  the  painting  by  Titian  .      „  „    196 

PICTURES   IN   THE   TEXT 

A  View  in  Florence Page  1 1 

Romulus  and  Remus „      13 

The  Papal  Coat  of  Arms „      14 

The  Arms  of  the  City  of  Florence „      15 

The  Emblem  of  the  Medici  Family      ....  „      18 

xi 


Illustrations 


Elizabeth's  Charm-String Page  19 

The  Lion  of  St.  Mark's „      23 

One  of  the  Doors  to  St.  Mark's „     29 

Off  the  Coast  of  Holland ,,34 

A  Glimpse  of  Holland .     .  ,,37 

Dutch  Types „     42 

A  View  of  Venice ,,44 

A  Fisherman  of  Venice ,,48 

St.  George,  from  the  painting  by  Mantegna  .     .  ,,54 

A  Doge  of  Venice „      61 

A  View  of  Venice >,      63 

A  Street  Scene  in  Lincoln „      66 

The  Imp  of  Lincoln ,,67 

The  Santissimo  Bambino ,,72 

The  Church  of  Ara  Coeli „      76 

A  Glimpse  of  Bruges ,,89 

A  Street  in  Basel ,,95 

The  Blessing  of  Ste.  Ursula ,,98 

Pope  Pius  IX „    105 

A  Corner  of  the  Vatican „    108 

A  View  of  Cologne „    1 10 

Crucifix „    116 

The  Main  Entrance  to  Cologne  Cathedral    .     .  ,,121 

The  Emperor  Constantine „    136 

Saint  Chapelle,  Paris „    146 

Woodpecker „    151 

The  Obelisk  of  the  Vatican „    155 

xii 


Illustrations 


A  Corner  of  Saint  Etienne  du  Mont    ....  Page  160 

Saint  Genevieve  and  Saint  Germaine   ....  „    164 

The  Tomb  of  Saint  Genevieve „    168 

Heidelberg  and  the  Great  Tun „    173 

Perkeo  the  Dwarf „    177 

The  Mouse  Tower ,,184 

Saint  Christopher „    197 

The  Lorelei „    206 

Feeding  the  Doves,  Venice ,,213 

The  Lion  of  Lucerne „    218 

Hilda's  Tower,  Florence „    222 

Durham  Cathedral „   224 

The  Durham  Knocker „   225 

The  Iron  Virgin  of  Nuremberg „   227 

The  "Little  Corporal" „   232 


XIII 


E  LI  Z  A  BE  TH'S 
CHARM-  STRING 


CHAPTER    I 


A   DISAPPOINTING  LETTER 


NE  lovely  afternoon  in 
June,  Elizabeth  Staats  and 
her^  particular)  chum,  Alma 
Curtis,  were  sitting  on  the 
honeysuckle-covered  porch 
of  Mr.  Isaac  Staats'  pretty 
summer  home.  Their  heads  were  bent  over 
a  letter  bearing  a  foreign  postmark,  and  its 
contents  did  not  seem  to  afford  them  much 
pleasure. 

"  Oh,  dear ! "  exclaimed  Elizabeth,  "  I  never 
was  so  disappointed  in  all  my  life." 

"  I  do  not  blame  you  for  feeling  so,"  said 
Alma,  soothingly ;  "  we  have  all  got  more  but- 
tons now  than  we  know  what  to  do  with  " 

"And  charm-strings  are  all   out   of  style 
vanyhowj'  continued  Elizabeth.     "  Every  girl 


RlizabetKs  Charm-String 

in  school  had  one  before  Aunt  Belle  went  to 
Europe.  Really,  Alma,  I  do  not  understand 
how  Aunty  can  be  so  horridly  stupid." 

Mrs.  Staats,  coming  out  on  the  porch  just 
then,  heard  this  last  remark  with, much  sur- 
prise, for  she  knew  that  "  Aunt  Belle  "  was 
usually  an  object  of  adoration  to  these  twelve- 
year-old  girls. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  daughter  ?  What  has 
caused  your  pet  Aunty  to  moult  her  angelic 
wing  feathers  and  develop  a  cloven  foot  so 
suddenly? " 

"  Mamma,  Aunt  Belle  writes  that  she  will 
reach  America  almost  as  soon  as  her  letter, 
and  —  " 

"  That  is  a  queer  reason  for  such  a  woful 
countenance." 

"  But,  mamma,  you  know  Aunty  promised 
to  bring  me  something  very  nice  from  Europe. 
I  was  hoping  for  a  little  watch,  and  instead 
of  that  she  is  bringing  me  a  whole  lot  of 
BUTTONS!" 

(Nothing  short  of  capital  letters  could  do 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

justice  to  the  emphatic  utterance  of  the  dis- 
appointed little- girl.) 

"  Buttons  !  Why,  my  dear  child,  surely 
you  must  be  mistaken.  Let  me  see  the 
letter." 

"I  wish  I  was  mistaken;  but  just  listen 
mamma,"  and  finding  the^  proper/ place,  Eliz- 
abeth read  aloud : 

" '  I  did  not  forget  my  promise  to  bring  you 
"  something  (pice.*}  I  wanted  the  gift  to  be 
very  unique  and  foreign-looking,  and  I  was 
almost  at  my  wit's  end  trying  to  make  a 
choice. 

" '  One  day  while  I  was  in  Rome  I  saw  a 
little  American  girl  with  the  most  fascinat- 
ing charm-string  you  ever  dreamed  of.  I 
remembered,  too,  that  when  I  left  home  you 
and  most  of  your  friends  were  busily  collect- 
ing all  sorts  of  buttons  for  charm-strings. 
I  then  and  there  decided  to  bring  you,  if 
possible,  just  as  pretty  a  collection  as  this 
small  girl  carried. 

" '  I  am  quite  sure  that  your  new  charm- 
3 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

string  will  not  duplicate  any  of  the  buttons 
on  your  old  one.'  ' 

"  There,  mamma,  Aunt  Belle  says  '  but- 
tons '  as  plainly  as  possible ;  "  and  two  big 
tears  rolled  slowly  down  the  little  maid's 
cheeks. 

There  was  a  twinkle  in  Mrs.  Staats'  eyes 
not  altogether  in  harmony  with  this  tragic 
situation,  but  she  comforted  her  daughter  as 
well  as  she  could,  and  offered  a  ray  of  hope 
by  saying,  "  Perhaps,  dear,  they  are  mili- 
tary buttons.  Do  you  not  remember  how 
Aunty  used  to  rave  about  the  grand  uniforms 
of  the  Italian  officers  ?  And  I  know  every  one 
of  you  girls  coveted  the  United  States  Army 
and  Navy  buttons  that  Elsie  Stone  had  on 
her  charm-string." 

All  in  vain ;  Elizabeth  had  so  often  boasted 
in  school-girl  fashion  of  the  fine  present  she 
expected  to  receive  from  Europe,  that  the 
thought  of  answering  "  Buttons  "  when  ques- 
tioned about  it  was  too  humiliating. 

But  partial  consolation  did  come  in  the 
4 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

shape  of  old  Caroline,  the  cook  who  presided 
over  Mrs.  Staats'  kitchen. 

"  Miss  Elizabeth !  Miss  Alma !  "  she  called, 
"  if  you  don't  hurry  up  and  make  your  cookies 
and  the  chocolate  fudge,  it  will  be  time  for 
Miss  Alma  to  go  home  before  you  get 
through." 

Off  scampered  the  children,  for  "  messing  " 
in  the  kitchen  with  good-natured  Caroline 
was  their  greatest  delight,  and  they  were 
soon  too  absorbed  in  the  mysteries  of  mixing 
and  baking  to  think  any  more  that  afternoon 
about  Aunt  Belle's  disappointing  letter. 

But  that  same  night,  before  they  dropped 
off  to  sleep,  Alma  in  her  city  home,  Elizabeth 
in  the  country,  had  any  one  asked  what  it  was 
that  weighed  so  heavily  on  their  minds,  both 
little  girls  would  have  answered,  "  Buttons." 


CHAPTER    II 

AN    INVITATION    TO    A    GAME   OF    "BUTTON, 
BUTTON,   WHO'S   GOT   THE   BUTTON?" 

MRS.  STAATS  and  Mrs.  Curtis 
had    been    friends    since    early 
childhood,  and  the  warm  affec- 
tion between  their  little  daughters  drew  them 
into  still  closer  intimacy. 

During  the  winter  months  the  two  fami- 
lies occupied  adjoining  houses  in  a  bustling 
Western  city. 

Early  every  spring  Mr.  Staats  moved  his 
family  to  their  charming  country  home, 
"  Shadyside,"  about  ten  miles  from  town  ;  but 
the  Curtis  family  usually  flitted  to  the  sea- 
shore. 

Every  summer  the  little  girls  were  allowed 
to  exchange  visits,  and  many  were  the  jolly 
times  they  had  together. 

6 


Elizabeth's  Charm-String 

They  had  discussed  the  "  Button  "  subject 
over  and  over  again,  but  never  ceased  to 
wonder  "  what  Aunt  Belle  could  have  been 
thinking  about  "  when  she  decided  to  bring 
such  a  commonplace,  prosaic  present  all  the 
way  from  Europe. 

They  had  agreed  to  say  nothing  more  to 
the  other  girls  in  regard  to  the  expected  gift, 
until  they  had  themselves  seen  the  objection- 
able charm-string. 

A  few  days  before  the  summer  holidays 
began,  Mrs.  Curtis  received  a  letter  from 
Shadyside  over  which  she  laughed  very  heart- 
ily. When  questioned  by  Alma  as  to  the 
cause  of  her  merriment,  the  only  reply  she 
vouchsafed  was : 

"  You  will  find  out  next  week.  We  are  in- 
vited to  Shadyside  for  a  little  visit,  to  meet 
Miss  Belle  Staats  and  see  Elizabeth's  present." 

A  little  note  from  Elizabeth  to  Alma 
was  enclosed  in  the  letter,  but  even  this  did 
not  give  any  clue  to  Mrs.  Curtis'  cause  for 
laughter.  It  said : 

7 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

"  DEAR  ALMA,  —  Mamma  had  a  letter  from 
Aunt  Belle  which  seemed  to  be  very  funny,  but 
she  would  not  let  me  read  it.  Aunty  wrote  to  me 
saying  that  some  of  the  buttons  have  lovely  legends 
or  funny  stories  connected  with  them. 

"Mamma  said  I  could  invite  several  girls  to 
spend  a  few  days  here,  and  Aunty  is  to  tell  us  the 
stories.  You  will  come,  of  course,  and  I  have  asked 
Genevieve  Lebeau,  Marie  Gardiner,  and  Margaret 
Nelson. 

"  I  told  the  girls  my  present  was  to  be  some 
queer  buttons  for  my  charm-string.  I  thought  it 
would  be  easier  to  write  than  to  tell  it." 


A  few  evenings  later  a  very  jolly  party 
was  making  merry  on  the  lawn  at  Shadyside. 
The  centre  of  attraction  was  of  course  Miss 
Belle  Staats. 

She  was  a  delightfully  pretty  young  lady, 
about  twenty-five  years  old,  and  had  been 
spending  the  past  two  years  travelling  lei- 
surely through  Europe. 

She  had  a  large  fortune  of  her  own,  artistic 
and  literary  tastes,  and  had  devoted  much 
time  to  the  study  of  history  and  art;  she 

8 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

possessed  a  keen  sense  of  humor,  told  a 
story  admirably,  and  talked  most  charmingly 
about  the  places  and  things  she  had  found 
most  interesting,  or  the  adventures  she  had 
met  with,  in  her  pursuit  of  pleasure  and 
improvement. 

She  was  particularly  fond  of  her  small 
niece  Elizabeth,  who  in  turn  adored  her 
pretty  Aunt,  and  indeed  Miss  Belle  was 
very  popular  with  all  Elizabeth's  best 
friends. 

During  the  afternoon  she  had  been 
showing  to  the  children  some  of  the  treas- 
ures she  had  brought  home  with  her, 
and  had  let  each  one  choose  a  little  sou- 
venir from  among  these  pretty  things ;  but 
not  a  word  had  been  said  about  the  charm- 
string. 

The  evening  flew  along  on  swift  wings 
until  ten  o'clock,  and  then  the  children  were 
sent  to  bed.  As  the  little  girls  gathered 
about  Miss  Belle,  wishing  her  "  Good-night," 
she  put  her  arm  around  Elizabeth  and  said 

9 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

laughingly :  "  Little  niece,  to-morrow  morning 
at  nine  o'clock  you  are  all  to  meet  me  in  the 
hall,  and  we  will  have  a  game  of  '  Button, 
button,  who 's  got  the  button  ? ' 


10 


CHAPTER   III 

A    MEDICI    BUTTON-BOX   AND    ITS   LEGENDS 


I 


next  morning  the  wind  was 
blowing  a  gale  and  the  rain  fall- 
ing in  torrents ;  -every  one  was  de- 
lighted to  find  a  bright  fire  burning  in  the 
big  open  fireplace. 


The  five  little  girls  were  burning  also  with 
curiosity  as  to  the  possible  contents  of  a 
queer-shaped  parcel  Miss  Belle  had  placed 
on  the  hall  table  soon  after  breakfast. 


ii 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

"  If  that  parcel  contains  your  buttons, 
Elizabeth,"  said  Genevieve  Lebeau,  "you 
will  not  have  much  of  a  string." 

"  Maybe  it  is  the  kind  of  a  button  the 
Mikado  wears,"  chimed  in  Margaret. 

"  Or  one  of  Queen  Victoria's  collar 
buttons ! " 

"  Or  the  Pope's  cuff  button ! " 

And  so  they  all  jested  and  laughed 
together. 

As  the  old  grandfather's  clock  struck  nine 
Miss  Belle  came  slowly  down  the  stairs, 
smiling  at  the  expectant  faces  watching 
her. 

She  walked  to  the  table,  and  as  she  began 
to  untie  the  mysterious  packet,  poor  Eliza- 
beth clutched  Alma's  hand  and  received  a 
reassuring  pressure  in  return. 

There  were  two  boxes  in  the  bundle.  One 
was  round  and  quite  small,  covered  with  a 
peculiar-looking  white  leather,  and  its  top 
was  decorated  with  what  appeared  to  be  a 
monogram,  colored  red  and  green. 

12 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

This,  after  a  moment's  hesitation,  was 
handed  to  Mrs.  Staats,  who  made  no  attempt 
to  open  it. 

The  second  box  Miss  Belle  gave  to  Eliza- 
beth, saying,  with  a  happy  laugh  :  "  There, 
little  one,  is  your  charm-string  at  last." 

The  box  was  trunk-shaped,  with  a  curving 
lid,  and  was  covered  with  copper  beaten  into 


elaborate  and  intricate  designs.  Across  the 
front  and  back  ran  a  complicated  pattern  of 
fleurs-de-lis ;  one  end  showed  a  wolf  nursing 
two  little  children;  the  other  displayed  a  tiara, 
or  Bishop's  mitre,  of  peculiar  shape,  and  be- 
neath this  two  keys  were  crossed ;  in  the 
centre  of  the  lid  was  a  shield  bearing  six 
balls  and  surmounted  by  a  coronet ;  the  in- 

13 


Elizabeth's  Charm-String 


tervening  spaces  were  beaten  into  dainty 
scrolls  or  flowers,  and  the  keyhole  was  in 
the  mouth  of  a  grinning  mask. 

"  Oh,  oh  !  "  exclaimed  Marie,  "  what  an  odd- 
looking  box !  " 

"  It  looks  as  if  it  needed  a  dose  of  sapolio, 
though,"  said  Alma,  who  was  nothing  if  not 
critical. 

"Yes,  it  does,"  said  Aunt  Belle,  "but 
what  looks  like  dirt  is  really  the  discolora- 
tion of  '  Old  Father  Time.'  It 
is  claimed  that  this  box  was  once 
the  property  of  Pope  Leo  X, 
who  belonged  to  the  renowned 
Medici  family  of  Florence. 

"  He  was  made  Pope  in  the 
year  1512  A.D.,  so  if  the  story 
is  true,  the  box  will  be  four  hun- 
dred years  old  by  the  time  Elizabeth  has 
jewels  enough  to  fill  it. 

"  The  fleurs-de-lis  on  the  box  typify  the 
city  of  Florence,  whose  nickname  is  '  Lily  of 
the  Arno.' 

14 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

"  The  wolf  nursing  the  two  boys  is  part  of 
the  coat  of  arms  of  Rome.  Surely,  you  all 
remember  the  story  of  Romulus  and  Remus, 
the  twin  brothers  who  founded  Rome  ?  If 
you  have  forgotten  it  I  must  tell  you  about 
it  another  time. 

"  The  triple  tiara  with  the  crossed  keys 
is  the  Papal  coat  of  arms ;  no  one  but  the 
Pope  ever  wears  that  tiara, 
which  represents  the  Trin- 
ity. It  is  said  to  be  of  pure 
gold  and  to  weigh  fifteen 
pounds. 

"  There  is  a  very  old 
legend  which  tells  us  that 
Christ  made  Saint  Peter 
the  keeper  of  the  gates  of  Paradise,  and  gave 
him  two  keys,  one  of  gold  for  Heaven,  and 
one  of  silver  for  Hell ;  so  in  the  mediaeval 
pictures  of  Saint  Peter  he  is  always  shown 
as  carrying  these  keys,  and  frequently  wear- 
ing a  tiara,  because  he  was  the  first  *  Uni- 
versal Bishop '  or  Pope. 


Elizabeth's  Charm-String 

"  The  shield  and  coronet  on  the  lid  be- 
long to  the  Medici  family.  There  is  a  funny 
little  story  which  tells  why  they  chose  the 
six  little  balls  as  the  family  emblem." 

THE  MEDICI  EMBLEM 

Long,  long  ago  there  lived  in  Florence  a 
man  who  was  of  good  family,  but  very  poor, 
and  although  quite  a  clever  fellow,  he  was 
too  lazy  to  work,  preferring  to  use  his  wits  in 
finding  easy  methods  of  earning  his  living. 

One  day,  while  amusing  himself  in  an 
old  curiosity  shop,  he  came  across  a  queer- 
looking  manuscript  and  took  it  home  to 
read. 

It  turned  out  to  have  originally  belonged 
to  a  physician,  and,  among  other  things, 
contained  a  prescription  for  compounding 
a  certain  kind  of  medicine,  guaranteed  to 
"  cure  every  ill  that  flesh  is  heir  to." 

So  this  man  decided  that  he  too  would 
be  a  doctor. 

Accordingly,  he  made  up  a  quantity  of 
16 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

these  infallible  pills,  and  travelled  about  the 
country  in  a  leisurely  way,  selling  the  medi- 
cine to  every  one  who  could  be  persuaded  to 
buy  any  of  it. 

He  managed  to  gain  quite  a  reputation 
because  of  the  alleged  cures  made  by  his  pills, 
and  soon  people  were  only  too  eager  to  pur- 
chase them. 

One  day  there  came  along  a  stupid 
peasant  who  had  lost  his  donkey. 

He  asked  our  doctor  if  his  medicine 
could  find  lost  animals. 

The  doctor  assured  him  that  these  pills 
could  almost  perform  miracles,  and  sold  six 
of  them  to  the  poor  man. 

The  peasant  was  directed  to  swallow  the 
pills,  and  then  wander  in  and  out  of  the 
Florentine  streets  and  all  around  the  neigh- 
boring country  for  six  days. 

He  was  to  think  about  his  donkey  all  the 
time,  and  as  he  walked  he  was  to  cry  aloud : 

"  My  donkey !     My  donkey  !     Good  people, 
Has  any  one  seen  my  lost  donkey  ?  " 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

Hunted  for  in  this  persistent  fashion  one 
could  discover  almost  anything;  so  you  will 
not  be  surprised  to  learn  that  the  ass  was 
finally  recovered. 

The  pills,  however,  received  all  the  credit 
for  this  astounding  performance  and  became 
more  popular  than  ever. 

At  length  the  "  Doctor  "  grew  so  wealthy 
that  he  concluded  to  retire  from  business ; 
he  assumed  the  name  of 
"  Medici,"  founded  a  new 
family,  and  for  his  coat  of 
arms  adopted  a  shield  bear- 
ing six  large  balls  sur- 
mounted by  a  coronet. 

By  Florentines  these  balls 
are  commonly  known  as  the  Medici  "  pills." 

In  the  midst  of  the  laughter  that  followed 
this  story,  Mrs.  Curtis  called  out : 

"  My  dear  Elizabeth,  any  time  you  want  to 
exchange  that  box  for  the  prettiest  watch 
in  town,  I  stand  ready  to  close  the  bargain." 

18 


RlizabetKs  Charm-String 


"  Open  it,  dearie,"  said  Aunt  Belle. 

Elizabeth  turned  the  key  and  lifted  the 
lid.  Alma  was  sitting  so  close  to  her  that 
she  also  could  see  the  contents  of  the  box. 

Both  little  girls  gave  one  long  glance  at 
the  shining  object  lying  on  its  bed  of  pink 
cotton;  then 
looked  at  each 
other,  and  the 
growing  be- 
wilderment in 
their  faces 
brought  a 
burst  of  laugh- 
ter from  the 
older  ladies, 
and  a  chorus 
of  "What  is 
it  ?  "  "  Let  me 
see !  "  from  the 
other  girls. 

Elizabeth  lifted  up  her  new  treasure, 
and  no  wonder  she  looked  amazed,  for  the 

19 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

thought  of  such  a  charm-string  as  this  had 
never  crossed  her  mind. 

To  begin  with,  it  was  not  a  string  at  all, 
but  a  pin ;  a  slender  bar  of  silver  about  three 
inches  long,  with  a  very  strong  clasp.  Sus- 
pended from  this  bar  were  several  fine  silver 
chains,  each  terminating  in  a  ring,  and  each 
ring  holding  a  number  of  marvellously  pretty 
gold  and  silver  charms. 

There  seemed  to  be  a  whole  menagerie  of 
animals,  and  all  sorts  of  quaintly  shaped  arti- 
cles, of  which  the  children  were  ignorant. 

Elizabeth  threw  her  arms  around  her 
Aunt's  neck,  almost  beside  herself  between 
remorse  and  delight. 

"Oh!"  she  cried,  "Alma  and  I  thought 
you  meant  you  were  bringing  me  a  lot  of 
buttons  for  my  old  charm-string,  and  we 
called  you  silly  and  stupid,  and  were  just 
horrid ;  now  the  buttons  have  turned  into 
all  these  pretty  things,  and  how  can  you 
ever  forgive  us ! " 

"Your  mother  told  me  of  the  funny  mis- 
20 


RlizabetKs  Charm-String 

take  you  were  making,  and  we  thought  it 
would  be  a  good  joke  to  surprise  you  with 
the  real  thing.  We  have  had  our  laugh  at 
you  and  Alma  for  your  stupidity." 

The  little  girls  examined  the  pretty  charms 
closely,  and  poured  forth  so  many  questions 
that  Miss  Belle  finally  clapped  her  hands 
over  her  ears  and  cried  out: 

"  Dear  me,  what  a  racket !  One  at  a  time, 
please.  Suppose  we  all  sit  down,  and  then 
you  girls  can  take  turns  choosing  charms, 
and  I  will  tell  you  the  stories  about  them. 

"  You  see  I  collected  charms  instead  of 
souvenir  spoons,  and  I  tried  always  to  find 
something  that  was  directly  connected  with 
the  place  where  I  bought  it. 

"Elizabeth,  suppose  you  begin.  I  'm  sure 
you  must  be  disappointed  at  the  loss  of  your 
expected  buttons,  so  we  will  soothe  your  hurt 
feelings  by  giving  you  first  choice." 


21 


CHAPTER   IV 

THE   WINGED    LION    OF   SAINT    MARK 


R 


LIZABETH  turned  over  the  little 
things  almost  caressingly,  and  after 
a  minute's  hesitation  her  choice 
fell  on  a  tiny  gold  winged  lion,  standing  on  a 
slab  of  silver.  The  left  fore-paw  was  raised, 
and  rested  on  an  open  book  which  had  some 
letters  cut  irregularly  on  the  surface. 

"  Ah  !  "  said  her  Aunt,  "  that  has  so  many 
stones  connected  with  it  I  hardly  know 
which  one  to  choose.  It  came  from  Venice, 
and  every  time  you  turn  around  in  that 
fairy  tale  of  a  city,  you  will  see  '  The  Lion 
of  Saint  Mark.' 

"  Saint  Mark  is  the  patron  saint  and  pro- 
tector of  Venice,  and  the  winged  lion  is  his 
symbol.  The  sentence  on  that  open  book  is 
the  motto  of  Venice  ;  it  is  in  Latin,  and  reads, 

22 


Rlizabetfts  Charm-String 


'  Pax  tibi  Marce  Evangelista  Meus,'    mean- 
ing '  Peace  to  thee,  Mark  my  Evangelist.' ' 

"  But  how  very  odd  it  seems  for  people  to 
choose  a  lion  as  a  symbol  for  a  saint,"  said 
Marie.  * 

"  Symbols  of 
some  descrip- 
tion have  been 
used  since  the 
earliest  days  of 
Christian  art  to 
represent  differ- 
ent saints  and 
martyrs.  It 
would  take  too  long  to  make  you  understand 
this  fully  now,  but  the  symbol  used  always 
indicated  something  connected  with  the  life 
of  that  particular  individual*." 

"  Did  Saint  Mark  kill  a  lion,  as  Hercules 
did  ? "  asked  Alma. 

"  No  ;  there  are  several  reasons  for  choos- 
ing the  lion  as  the  emblem  of  Saint  Mark, 
but  I  will  tell  only  the  one  I  like  best  myself. 

23 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

"  Perhaps  you  know  that  each  one  of  the 
Evangelists  emphasizes  in  his  Gospel  some 
particular  phase  of  Christ's  life  or  character, 
and  Saint  Mark  has  often  been  called  '  The 
Historian  of  the  Resurrection.'  ., 

"  During  the  Middle  Ages  it  was  quite  a 
general  belief  that  the  cub  of  a  lioness  was 
always  born  dead  ;  after  three  days  the  breath 
of  the  lion  infused  life  into  the  cub,  and  this 
awakening  of  the  young  lion  typified  the 
resurrection  of  Christ. 

"  So  the  lion  was  given  to  Saint  Mark  as 
his  symbol,  and  because  the  angels,  who  are 
the  messengers  of  heaven,  are  always  repre- 
sented as  having  wings,  this  lion  is  also 
winged,  since  he  too  represents  one  who 
brings  us  good  tidings." 

"Saint  Mark  was  not  an  Italian.  Why 
was  he  chosen  as  the  protector  of  Venice  ?  " 
asked  Margaret. 

"  Thereby  hangs  a  pretty  tale,  but,  like  so 
many  Italian  legends,  truth  and  poetry  are 
so  closely  interwoven  that  it  is  hard  to 
24 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

separate  them.  I  am  not  telling  you  the 
history  of  Saint  Mark,  however,  simply  the  cir- 
cumstances that  connect  him  with  Venice." 

THE  LION  OF  SAINT  MARK 

Saint  Mark  was  a  Jew,  and  was  converted 
to  Christianity  some  time  after  the  Ascension 
of  Christ. 

Our  story  relates  that  he  was  of  priestly 
descent,  and  under  the  Jewish  law  no  man 
could  be  a  priest  who  was  deformed  or  dis- 
abled in  any  way.  Accordingly,  after  his 
conversion,  Saint  Mark  cut  off  one  of  his 
fingers,  so  that  no  matter  what  happened,  his 
mutilated  hand  would  make  it  quite  impos- 
sible for  him  to  ever  again  serve  in  any 
Jewish  temple. 

Saint  Mark  was  a  great  favorite  of  Saint 
Peter,  and  was  the  latter's  companion  on  one 
of  his  visits  to  Rome. 

Sailing  along  the  coast  of  Italy,  they 
stopped  at  Aquileia  (called  very  often  the 
"  Mother  City  of  Venice  "),  where  Saint  Peter 

25 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

founded  a  church,  and  made  many  converts 
to  the  Christian  religion. 

Continuing  their  journey,  the  legend  says 
their  vessel  was  stranded  on  one  of  the  un- 
inhabited islands  where  Venice  now  stands, 
and  Saint  Mark  had  a  vision  of  the  wonderful 
city  to  be  built  thereon. 

Some  time  later  Saint  Peter  sent  Saint 
Mark  back  to  Egypt,  and  when  the  ship 
passed  this  island  again  its  speed  was  sud- 
denly arrested,  and  an  angel  appeared  to 
Saint  Mark,  and  told  him  that  some  day  his 
body  would  be  brought  to  the  city  he  had 
beheld  in  his  former  vision,  and  there  placed 
in  a  marvellous  church  erected  in  his  honor. 

Saint  Mark  lived  and  worked  in  Egypt 
many  years.  He  founded  the  church  at 
Alexandria,  which  afterwards  became  one  of 
the  most  celebrated  of  the  early  Christian 
churches. 

Here  he  performed  so  many  miracles  that 
the  Egyptians  accused  him  of  being  a  sor- 
cerer, and  on  the  feast  day  of  their  god 

26 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

Serapis,  sixty-eight  years  after  Christ,  he  was 
seized  and  dragged  about  over  the  rough 
streets,  until  death  put  an  end  to  his  misery. 

Saint  Mark's  fellow  Christians  gathered 
up  the  poor  mangled  body,  and  he  was  buried 
in  the  church  at  Alexandria,  where  for  sev- 
eral hundred  years  his  remains  were  held  in 
great  veneration. 

In  the  meantime,  the  city  of  Saint  Mark's 
vision  had  developed  into  a  beautiful  reality. 

By  thp  middle  of  the  ninth  century  the 
Venetians  had  become  very  powerful,  espe- 
cially in  the  Eastern  countries,  and  when 
they  wanted  anything,  from  a  kingdom  to 
the  bones  of  a  martyr  or  saint,  they  gener- 
ally contrived  to  get  it. 

Relics  of  all  kinds  were  bought  and  sold 
like  ordinary  merchandise ;  there  was  a  regu- 
lar traffic  in  bodies  and  bones  between  East- 
ern and  Western  Europe,  and,  to  judge  by 
the  number  of  them  to  be  found  in  Venice, 
her  citizens  were  greatly  addicted  to  the 
collection  of  saintly  bones. 

27 


RlizabetKs  Charm-String 

At  that  time  the  Mohammedan  power  was 
supreme  in  Alexandria,  and  the  Christians 
were  persecuted  in  every  possible  manner. 

Their  lives  were  not  safe ;  their  churches 
were  destroyed ;  their  houses  and  properties 
were  confiscated,  and  their  most  treasured 
relics  were  burned. 

Some  Venetian  merchants  who  were  trad- 
ing in  Alexandria  begged  the  Christian 
priests  for  the  body  of  Saint  Mark,  in  order 
to  save  it  from  desecration. 

After  much  persuasion  the  priests  reluc- 
tantly consented  to  the  removal  of  Saint 
Mark's  remains  to  Venice. 

To  get  such  a  treasure  as  this  away  from 
Alexandria  was  quite  a  hard  task,  but  the 
Venetians  proved  equal  to  it. 

They  knew  that  all  Mohammedans  have 
a  very  great  horror  of  pork,  considering  it  as 
unclean.  Accordingly,  they  placed  the  re- 
mains of  Saint  Mark  in  a  large  basket,  and 
covered  it  with  swine's  flesh. 

When  any  one  tried  to  inspect  the  con- 
28 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 


tents  of  the 
Venetian 
loudly,"  Kwa- 
which  means 
word  effectu- 
to  further  in- 
The  mer- 
way  reached 
without  much 
basket  was 
in  the  sails, 

, 

journey  to 
begun.    A  few  days  later  there 
storm  at  sea,  and  in  the  midst  of 

29 


basket,  its 
bearers  cried 
sir,  kwasir," 
pork,andthat 
allyputastop 
vestigations. 
chants  in  this 
their  vessel 
trouble ;  the 
hidden  aloft 
and  the  long 
Venice  was 
was  a  frightful 
it  Saint  Mark 


Elizabeth's  Charm-String 

appeared  to  the  captain  and  directed  him  to 
lower  all  the  sails  and  steer  in  a  certain  direc- 
tion, or  else  the  vessel  would  be  driven  against 
some  hidden  rocks. 

The  captain  did  exactly  as  he  was  told,  and 
after  the  storm  subsided  discovered  that  the 
appearance  and  advice  of  Saint  Mark  had  in- 
deed saved  the  vessel  from  shipwreck. 

At  last  the  vessel  reached  Venice  safely,  and 
the  holy  relics  were  received  amidst  great 
rejoicings,  and,  with  many  splendid  cere- 
monies, were  placed  in  the  chapel  of  Saint 
Theodore,  which  was  part  of  the  Ducal 
Palace. 

Saint  Mark  was,  of  course,  a  much  more 
important  personage  than  Saint  Theodore, 
so  in  order  to  sufficiently  honor  the  great 
Evangelist,  Saint  Theodore  was  deposed,  and 
Saint  Mark  was  made  patron  saint  of  Ven- 
ice instead. 

This  chapel  of  Saint  Theodore  was  demol- 
ished, and  a  new  church,  dedicated  to  Saint 
Mark,  was  built  in  its  place.  This  church 
30 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

was  in  turn  destroyed  by  fire,  and  apparently 
the  body  of  Saint  Mark  perished  with  it. 

A  grander  and  far  more  beautiful  church 
was  then  erected,  and  it  was  consecrated  in 
the  year  1085  A.D. 

During  all  these  years  of  building,  the 
place  where  Saint  Mark's  body  had  rested 
seems  to  have  been  forgotten ;  but  the  Vene- 
tians had  never  reconciled  themselves  to  the 
loss  of  their  beloved  patron  saint,  and  they 
determined  to  pray  for  a  miracle  to  show 
where  his  bones  were  to  be  found. 

A  general  fast  day  was  appointed  by  the 
Doge,  for  the  25th  of  January,  in  the  year 
1094,  and  the  people  of  Venice  gathered  to- 
gether in  the  church  and  piazza  of  Saint  Mark, 
and  prayed  fervently  for  a  sign  from  God. 

Imagine  their  joy  when  they  beheld  a 
trembling  in  one  of  the  marble  pillars,  which 
presently  fell  to  pieces,  and  displayed  to  the 
faithful  petitioners  the  bronze  chest  which 
contained  the  blessed  relics. 

Now   they  repose   under  the   high    altar 


Rlizabettis  Charm-String 

of  the  most  wonderful  church  in  the  world, 
and  among  the  marvellous  mosaics  which 
make  this  church  so  famous  you  will  find 
pictured  this  legend  of  Saint  Mark. 

The  body  of  Saint  Mark  was  received  at 
Venice  on  January  31  in  the  year  828  A.D., 
and  for  hundreds  of  years  that  day  was 
celebrated  with  a  solemn  High  Mass,  which 
was  attended  by  the  Doge  and  all  the 
Signory,  wearing  their  official  robes.  In- 
deed, it  is  still  kept  as  a  feast  day,  but 
with  little  of  the  magnificent  splendor  which 
characterized  it  during  the  years  when  Ven- 
ice reigned  supreme. 

This  is  the  story  of  the  little  Winged 
Lion  as  I  heard  it,  and  you  see  him  so 
often  in  Venice  that  you  feel  very  intimate 
with  him.  Indeed,  one  of  my  pet  treasures 
is  an  old  brass  candlestick,  in  shape  like 
unto  "  The  Winged  Lion  of  Saint  Mark." 

"  Miss  Belle,"  said  Genevieve  with  a 
laugh,  "if  you  can  tell  us  many  more  stories 

32 


RlizabetKs  Charm-String 

like  that,  I  think  we  will  find  our  Sunday- 
school  lessons  about  the  '  Acts  of  the 
Apostles '  much  more  interesting." 

"  If  that  is  all  you  need,  my  dear,  we  will 
buy  you  the  '  Lives  of  the  Saints  '  to  read." 

Every  one  laughed,  for  Genevieve's  literary 
tastes  ran  decidedly  toward  the  "  Brothers 
Grimm." 


33 


CHAPTER  V 

THE   LADY'S   SAND 

NOW  it  is   your   turn,  Margaret," 
said  Miss  Belle. 
"  I  choose  this  little  grain  of 
wheat,    set    in    silver,"    replied     Margaret. 
"  Wheat  is  certainly  a  queer  article  to  find 
on  a  charm-string." 

"  In  Holland  that  grain  of  wheat  would 
probably  be  called  '  The  Lady's  Sand,' "  be- 
gan Miss  Belle.  "  Girls,  do  any  of  you 
know  where  the  Zuyder  Zee  is?" 

"  Yes,  indeed  we  do,"  answered  Alma. 
"  It  is  on  the  coast  of  Holland,  and  three  or 
four  islands  separate  it  from  the  North  Sea." 

34 


RlizabetJis  Charm- Sir  ing 

"  That  is  quite  right,  but  I  dare  say  that 
none  of  you  have  ever  heard  that  the  waters 
of  the  Zuyder  Zee  now  roll  and  toss  over 
what  was  once  cultivated  land." 

THE  LADY'S  SAND 

There  is  a  little  town  called  Stavoren  on 
the  coast  of  Holland ;  it  is  now  little  more 
than  a  fishing  village,  but  according  to  the 
old  legends  it  was  once  a  prosperous  and 
very  beautiful  city,  protected  from  the  ravages 
of  the  sea  by  a  splendid  system  of  dikes. 

Many  of  the  citizens  were  so  enormously 
wealthy  that  they  paved  the  floors  of  their 
palaces  with  gold;  their  walls  were  hung 
with  the  most  expensive  tapestries,  and  their 
furniture  was  covered  with  cloth  of  gold. 

To  gratify  their  own  desires  no  expense 
was  too  great,  but  they  paid  no  attention 
to  the  needs  of  the  poorer  classes,  and 
treated  their  dependants  like  so  many  dogs. 

There  was  a  certain  unmarried  woman 
who  was  probably  the  richest  person  in 

35 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

Stavoren.  She  owned  countless  ships  and 
houses;  her  income  was  so  enormous  that 
she  could  not  possibly  spend  it  all ;  but  it 
never  occurred  to  her  to  share  this  super- 
fluity with  the  unfortunate  people  who  had 
little  or  nothing. 

In  spite  of  all  this  wealth,  she  was  very 
grasping  and  avaricious,  and  was  always  de- 
vising new  ways  to  increase  her  possessions. 

One  day  a  very  queer  notion  entered  her 
head.  Sending  for  her  cleverest  captain,  she 
ordered  him  to  take  the  largest  ship  she 
owned,  sail  away  from  Stavoren,  and  bring 
back  to  her  a  cargo  of  the  most  precious 
thing  to  be  found  in  the  whole  world. 

He  could  go  any  place  he  wished,  but 
must  return  within  a  year. 

This  task  struck  the  captain  as  being  a 
very  difficult  one,  and  he  endeavored  to  learn 
from  the  lady  what  she  considered  to  be  the 
most  precious  thing  in  the  world.  She  would 
express  no  opinion,  however,  but  repeated 
her  instructions  most  emphatically. 

36 


Eliz&betJis  Charm-String 

The  captain  was  almost  in  despair,  for  he 
knew  that  no  two  people  think  alike  on  such 
a  subject,  and  he  had  no  idea  what  would 
please  his  mistress. 

At  length  he  concluded  that  life  itself 
was  our  dearest  possession,  and  that  what- 


ever best  sustained       % 

life  must  be  the  most 

precious     thing     in  the    world. 

So  with  his  mind  at  rest,  he  set  sail  for 
Dantzic,  and  quickly  returned  with  a  cargo  of 
the  very  finest  wheat  that  money  could  buy. 

When  the  lady  heard  that  her  vessel  was 
in  the  harbor,  she  invited  all  her  richest 
friends  to  meet  at  her  house,  and  learn  the 
result  of  the  voyage. 

37 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

The  captain  arrived,  and  made  his  report. 

When  his  mistress  learned  that  this  long- 
looked-for,  much-talked-about  cargo  was  noth- 
ing more  wonderful  than  plain,  every-day 
wheat,  she  grew  almost  insane  with  rage,  and 
ordered  the  captain  to  dump  the  whole  load 
of  grain  into  the  sea. 

The  captain  implored  her  not  to  do  such 
a  wicked,  wasteful  deed  when  so  many  poor 
people  were  perishing  for  lack  of  the  wheat 
she  herself  did  not  want. 

The  lady  only  became  more  furious,  and 
in  order  to  satisfy  herself  that  her  com- 
mands were  literally  obeyed,  she  followed 
the  captain  to  the  place  where  the  ship  was 
anchored. 

The  kind-hearted  captain  fell  on  his  knees 
and  begged  her  again  to  give  the  wheat  to 
the  poor,  but  she  was  merciless,  and  forced 
the  captain  to  throw  every  grain  of  it  into 
the  sea. 

Exasperated  by  this  sinful  waste,  one  of 
the  sailors  turned  to  the  lady  and  cried  out : 

38 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

•  "  Just  as  sure  as  God  is  a  God  of  Justice, 
you  will  some  day  beg  for  bread  from  the  very 
people  to  whom  you  have  refused  it  to-day." 

The  lady  laughed  scornfully,  and,  taking 
a  ring  from  her  finger,  threw  it  into  the  sea, 
saying : 

"  I  will  expect  my  punishment  when  I 
again  see  this  ring." 

Some  little  time  later,  the  lady  was  invited 
to  a  grand  banquet  at  the  house  of  a  very 
wealthy  neighbor.  During  the  meal,  the 
cook  placed  before  the  host  a  golden  platter. 
On  this  lay  a  large  baked  fish,  which  was 
carved  and  served  to  the  guests. 

When  the  lady  began  to  eat  her  portion, 
she  found  in  it  the  ring  which  she  had  cast 
into  the  sea.  It  had  been  swallowed  by  the 
fish,  and  returned  to  its  owner  in  this  curious 
fashion. 

Remembering  her  own  words,  the  lady 
was  of  course  very  much  frightened,  and 
began  to  think  it  might  be  well  for  her  to 
be  less  cruel  in  the  future. 

39 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

But  it  was  too  late  !  The  curse  of  the  poor 
sailor  had  fallen  upon  her,  and  she  herself 
had  prophesied  the  time  of  her  punishment. 

One  disaster  followed  another  :  her  money 
investments  turned  out  badly ;  fires  destroyed 
her  palaces ;  bad  harvests  ruined  her  farms ; 
storms  and  floods  wrecked  her  vessels,  and 
before  many  months  passed  over  her  head 
she  found  herself  as  badly  off  as  the  poorest 
person  to  whom  she  had  refused  help  in  the 
time  of  her  prosperity. 

Her  former  friends  turned  her  from  their 
doors,  and  when  she  begged  from  the  poor, 
they  told  her  to  go  make  bread  out  of  the 
wheat  she  had  thrown  away. 

Spurned  thus  by  everybody,  starving  and 
homeless,  she  died  unhonored  and  alone. 

But,  according  to  the  legends,  the  evil  she 
had  done  lived  after  her. 

As  time  passed  on,  the  sailors  and  fisher- 
men noticed  that  the  entrance  to  the  harbor 
of  Stavoren  was  becoming  obstructed  by  a 
sand-bar.  It  increased  so  rapidly  that  in  a 

40 


RlizabetKs  Charm-String 

short  time  it  reached  the  surface  of  the 
water,  and  not  even  small  vessels  could 
cross  it. 

The  sand  was  covered  by  a  coarse  vegeta- 
tion that  looked  a  little  like  wheat,  and  the 
sailors  all  declared  that  this  great  misfor- 
tune had  its  origin  in  the  drifting  of  the 
discarded  grain,  and  called  it  "  The  Lady's 
Sand." 

A  number  of  people  went  to  the  chief 
magistrates,  and  begged  that  something  be 
done  to  remove  this  hindrance  to  the  com- 
merce of  Stavoren ;  since  ships  could  no 
longer  enter  the  harbor,  there  was  little  or 
no  work  for  the  sailors  and  laborers,  and 
they  had  no  money  for  the  support  of  their 
families. 

No  attention  whatever  was  paid  to  their 
entreaties,  and  the  poor  people  of  Stavoren 
were  almost  in  despair. 

Alas !  a  still  greater  disaster  was  to  follow. 

Through  some  slight  defect  in  the  sea- 
wall, salt  water  leaked  into  the  fresh-water 


Elizabeth's  Charm-String 


supply  of  the  city,  making  it,  of  course,  unfit 
to  drink. 

Again  did    the    suffering  people   beg  for 
relief,  and  again  was  it  refused. 

The  wealthy  citizens 
had  enormous  quantities 
of  wine  stored  away ; 
enough  to  supply  the  en- 
tire city  until  the  leak 
could  be  repaired  and  the 
reservoirs  purified. 

But  no !  these  cruel  peo- 
ple, themselves  rolling  in 
wealth,  dressed  in  the 
finest  of  clothes,  drink- 
ing the  costliest  wines, 
laughed  at  the  distress  of 
their  unfortunate  fellow 
citizens,  and  refused  them 
even  the  dregs  of  their  wine  and  beer  casks. 

Their  punishment  came  quickly,  but  it 
was  one  that  fell  on  the  innocent  as  well  as 
the  guilty. 

42 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

The  little  leak,  being  overlooked  or  neg- 
lected, gradually  widened,  thus  weakening 
the  sea-wall.  One  stormy  night  the  waters 
of  the  North  Sea  broke  through  the  protect- 
ing dikes,  and  overwhelmed  the  entire  city. 

Many  thousands  of  people  were  drowned 
that  dreadful  night ;  those  to  whom  life  was 
a  joy,  whose  position  and  wealth  enabled 
them  to  gratify  every  whim,  and  those  to 
whom  life  seemed  to  promise  nothing  but 
poverty  and  trouble,  shared  the  same  fate. 

The  little  kingdom  of  Holland  needs  more 
land  than  its  present  area  affords,  and  the 
Dutch  government  is  talking  about  draining 
the  Zuyder  Zee,  and  reclaiming  all  that  once 
fertile  land. 

So  it  is  possible,  girls,  that  some  day  we 
may  learn  just  how  much  or  how  little  truth 
there  is  in  this  story  of  the  sunken  city  of 
Stavoren." 


43 


*? 


I 

~4Xfl£i4ttSUfe?*> 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE    DOGE   AND   THE   FISHERMAN 

NOW,  Alma,  you  choose,"  said  Eliz- 
abeth. 
"  You  may  be    sure  Alma   will 
hit  on  a  good  long  story,"  said  Marie,  who 
was   inclined   to   be    slangy.     "  She  always 
manages  to  get  more  for  her  money  than  all 
the  rest  of  us  put  together." 

When  Alma  held  up  her  choice,  Miss 
Belle  laughed  heartily.  "  ^ou  are  surely 
right  this  time,  Marie.  I  could  make  four 

44 


RlizabetKs  Charm-String 

stories  out  of  that  charm,  each  with  a  plenti- 
ful sprinkling  of  saints." 

Alma  had  selected  a  small  signet  ring. 
From  it  hung  four  tiny  ornaments :  a  little 
gold  cap,  very  like  the  one  worn  by  the  God- 
dess of  Liberty  ;  a  silver  shield  engraved  with 
a  red  cross ;  a  fish,  and  the  fourth  looked 
like  three  wee  balls  welded  together. 

"  Before  I  get  to  the  real  story,"  began 
Miss  Belle,  "  I  must  give  you  a  little  infor- 
mation, so  you  will  understand  it  better. 

"  You  all  know  that  Venice  is  actually 
founded  on  a  number  of  small  islands ;  for 
all  practical  purposes  her  streets  are  the 
canals  which  intersect  the  city  in  every  direc- 
tion, and  the  widest,  or  Grand  Canal,  winds 
through  the  city  like  a  gigantic  S. 

"  Between  Venice  and  the  open  sea  are 
other  islands,  which  protect  her  from  the 
ravages  of  the  Adriatic. 

"  One  of  them  is  called  the  Lido,  and  on 
it  stands  the  church  of  San  Niccolo  di 
Lido,  where,  so  the  Venetians  claim,  the 
45 


Elizabetfis  Charm-String 

body  of  Saint  Nicholas  has  been  preserved 
for  several  hundred  years. 

"  He  was  the  patron  saint  of  poor  people, 
of  children,  of  sailors,  in  fact  of  every  one 
in  distress,  and  the  protector  against  thieves 
or  violence. 

"  Now  at  the  end  of  the  Grand  Canal, 
nearly  opposite  the  Piazzeta  of  Saint  Mark,  is 
the  island  of  San  Giorgio  Maggiore,  with  its 
church  of  the  same  name,  where  the  relics 
of  '  Saint  George,  the  Warrior  Saint  and 
Martyr,'  find  their  resting-place. 

"  Keep  these  things  in  mind,  please,  so 
that  you  may  the  better  understand  this  inter- 
esting story." 

THE  DOGE  AND  THE  FISHERMAN 

On  the  25th  of  February  in  the  year  1345 
(there  is,  however,  some  dispute  about  the 
exact  year)  there  arose  the  most  awful  storm 
that  had  ever  been  known  in  Venice. 

It  rained  in  torrents  for  several  days,  and 
the  water  in  the  lagoons  rose  higher  and 

46 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

higher,  threatening  to  overwhelm  Venice  in 
its  fury. 

While  the  storm  was  raging,  an  old  fisher- 
man fastened  his  boat  to  the  "  molo  "  or  quay 
of  Saint  Mark,  which  is  only  a  short  distance 
from  the  church. 

He  had  been  there  but  a  little  while  when 
he  beheld  on  the  molo  an  old  man,  very 
grave  and  dignified,  who  desired  to  be 
ferried  over  to  San  Giorgio  Maggiore. 

The  fisherman  at  first  refused  to  cross  in 
such  frightful  weather,  but  the  old  man  in- 
sisted, promising  a  liberal  payment  for  the 
service. 

It  was  hard  work  to  row  in  such  a  sea, 
but  at  last  they  got  safely  over. 

The  stranger  landed,  bade  the  fisherman 
wait  for  him,  and  entered  the  church.  Pres- 
ently he  returned,  accompanied  by  a  young 
man  who  was  evidently  a  soldier,  since  he 
wore  a  coat  of  mail. 

Both  men  embarked,  and  ordered  the 
fisherman  to  take  them  to  San  Niccolo  di 

47 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 


Lido.  He  looked  at  the  tossing  waves  and 
declared  the  task  was  an  impossible  one. 
The  men  persuaded  him  to  try  it  by  the 
promise  of  still  greater  reward,  but  it  was 

with  the  greatest  diffi- 
culty that  he  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching  the 
Lido. 

Here  the  two  men 
landed  and  went  into 
the  church,  returning 
quickly  and  bringing 
with  them  "  a  man  of 
great  age,  with  a  face 
of  heavenly  sweet- 
ness," dressed  in  the  robes  of  a  Bishop. 

They  then  commanded  the  fisherman  to 
row  out  between  the  forts  which  protected 
the  harbor,  into  the  open  sea,  assuring 
him  that  the  task  would  be  made  easy  for 
him. 

In  vain  he  protested.  The  three  men  in- 
sisted on  going,  and,  marvellous  to  relate,  as 

48 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

they  progressed  the  sea  about  the  boat  was 
much  calmer  than  elsewhere. 

When  they  reached  the  mouth  of  the  har- 
bor "  they  saw  coming  towards  them,  with 
such  speed  that  it  seemed  to  fly  over 
the  water,  a  tremendous  ship  manned  by 
devils." 

The  storm  increased  its  fury,  and  it 
seemed  as  though  Venice  would  be  utterly 
annihilated. 

Suddenly  the  sea  grew  calm.  The  three 
men  stood  up  in  their  little  boat  and  made 
the  sign  of  the  cross. 

Wonder  of  wonders!  the  ship  with  its 
fiendish  crew  disappeared  and  the  storm  as 
suddenly  ceased. 

The  strangers  then  ordered  the  fisherman 
to  row  them  back,  the  aged  Bishop  to  San 
Niccolo  di  Lido,  the  knight  to  San  Giorgio, 
and  the  old  man  to  San  Marco. 

His  task  finished,  the  fisherman  naturally 
demanded  the  promised  reward. 

"You  have  earned  it  well,"  said  the  man, 
4  49 


Elizabeth's  Charm-String 

"and  the  Doge  himself  will  pay  you.  I 
am  Saint  Mark,  the  protector  of  Venice ; 
your  other  passengers  were  the  knight 
and  martyr  Saint  George,  and  the  blessed 
Bishop,  Saint  Nicholas  of  Bari. 

"  Go  to-morrow  to  the  Doge,  and  tell  him 
all  you  have  seen  and  done;  and  that  by 
your  obedience  to  our  orders  you  enabled 
us  to  save  Venice  from  destruction. 

"  Tell  him  also  that  the  storm  arose  be- 
cause a  certain  wicked  schoolmaster  had  sold 
himself  to  the  Devil,  and  afterwards  hanged 
himself." 

But  the  fisherman  claimed  his  payment, 
saying,  "  The  Doge  will  never  believe  such  a 
wonderful  story  from  a  poor  man  like  me." 

The  saint  took  a  ring  from  his  finger  and 
gave  it  to  the  fisherman. 

"  Take  this  ring,"  he  said.  "  Show  it  to 
the  Doge,  and  tell  him  to  look  for  it  in 
the  sanctuary  where  it  belongs." 

With  these  words  Saint  Mark  disappeared. 

The  next  morning  the  fisherman  went  to 
50 


Eli'zabetKs  Charm-String 


the*  Doge,  told  him  the  marvellous  story, 
and  gave  him  the  ring. 

The  Doge  sent  for  the  Procurators  (they 
who  have  charge  of  the  church  and  treas- 
ury of  Saint  Mark)  and  bade  them  look  for 
the  ring,  as  the  stranger  had  directed. 

This  ring  should  have  been  found  in  the 
sanctuary,  where  it  was  kept  under  a  triple 
lock;  but  although  the  lock  had  not  been 
tampered  with,  the  ring  was  gone  from  its 
proper  place. 

Then  the  Doge  and  the  Procurators 
knew  that  a  miracle  had  taken  place, 
and  a  solemn  High  Mass  was  celebrated 
in  Saint  Mark's  Church  to  express  their 
gratitude. 

The  ring  was  restored  to  the  sanctuary, 
and  the  poor  fisherman  received  a  life  pen- 
sion as  his  reward. 

"  That  is  a  fine  story,"  said  Alma,  picking 
up  the  little  charm  again.  "  I  suppose  these 
things  represent  the  ring  of  Saint  Mark 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

and  the  four  men,  but  I  do  not  quite  under- 
stand which  is  which." 

"Why,"  said  Elizabeth,  "the  ring  itself 
stands  for  Saint  Mark,  and  the  fish  for  the 
fisherman  ;  any  one  could  see  that  much." 

"  Yes,"  added  Genevieve,  "  and  if  the  Saint 
George  at  Venice  is  the  one  who  killed  a 
dragon,  the  little  shield  belongs  to  him. 
Perhaps  I  do  not  know  much  about  the 
Apostles,  but  I  do  know  the  story  of  that 
dragon." 

"  Then  do  please  tell  it  to  us,"  said  Marie. 

"  All  right.  Of  course  I  cannot  tell  it  the 
way  Miss  Belle  would,  but  I  will  do  my 
best." 


CHAPTER  VII 

SAINT  GEORGE  AND  THE  DRAGON  —  THE 
DOGE'S  BONNET  — SAINT  NICHOLAS  OF 
BARI 

SAINT    GEORGE    was    the   son   of 
Christian  parents,  and  he  must  have 
been  of  noble  birth  because  he  was 
a  captain,  or  tribune,  in    the   Roman  army 
under  the  Emperor  Diocletian.    He  was  very 
brave,  and  did  as  many  valiant  deeds  as  any 
knight  of  King  Arthur's  Round  Table  ever 
performed. 

Once  when  he  was  travelling  to  join  his 
legion,  he  came  to  a  heathen  city  called 
Selene,  whose  inhabitants  were  having  a 
dreadful  experience  with  a  dragon,  that  lived 
in  a  marshy  lake  beyond  the  city. 

This  dragon  roamed  around  devouring 
every  living  thing  it  met,  until  the  people 
became  so  frightened  that  they  shut  them- 

53 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 


selves   within   the  city  walls,   for  even   the 

dragon's  breath  was  poisonous. 

Before  long  the  horrid  beast  had  eaten  up 
all  the  sheep  and  cattle 
outside  the  walls,  and 
then  began  to  attack  the 
city. 

To  save  themselves 
the  people  sent  out  two 
sheep  every  day  for  the 
dragon's  dinner.  Before 
long  all  the  sheep  were 
devoured,  and  they  had 
to  send  two  little  chil- 
dren instead. 

Of  course  everybody 
was  very  unhappy,  for 
nobody  knew  whose 

child  would  be  the  next  one  to  go. 

The  victims  were  chosen  by  drawing  lots, 

and  one  day  the  choice  fell  on  the  King's 

only  daughter,  a  beautiful  little  girl,  fifteen 

years  old,  called  Cleodolinda. 

54 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

The  King  was  almost  crazy  with  grief, 
and  begged  the  people  to  let  his  daughter  go 
free.  He  offered  all  his  gold,  his  jewels,  and 
even  his  kingdom  if  only  Cleodolinda  could 
be  saved  from  the  dragon. 

But  his  subjects  did  not  think  this  would 
be  at  all  just  or  fair,  since  it  was  by  the 
King's  decree  that  they  too  must  lose  their 
children. 

The  King  continued  to  beg  them  to 
have  mercy  on  his  daughter,  until  the 
people  grew  so  angry  they  tried  to  burn 
down  his  palace,  so  he  was  obliged  to 
submit. 

One  morning  the  little  Princess,  dressed 
in  her  finest  clothes,  was  sent  outside  to  the 
dragon.  She  was  a  brave  little  thing,  and 
declared  that  she  was  more  than  willing  to 
go,  if  only  she  could  save  the  people  from 
this  dreadful  beast. 

The  road  to  the  dragon's  lake  was 
strewn  with  bones,  and  as  the  little  Prin- 
cess walked  along,  she  cried  aloud  and 

55 


Rlizabettis  Charm-String 

prayed  to  God  to  deliver  her  dear  father 
and  all  his  subjects. 

Suddenly  she  heard  the  sound  of  a  horse's 
hoofs,  and  looking  up  saw  a  handsome  young 
man  riding  swiftly  toward  her.  He  had  long 
fair  hair,  and  was  dressed  in  shining  armor, 
and  carried  a  shield  decorated  with  a  red 
cross. 

When  he  saw  a  charming  young  girl,  very 
finely  dressed,  crying  as  if  her  heart  was 
broken,  he  stopped  his  horse  and  asked  what 
was  the  cause  of  her  tears. 

The  little  Princess  then  told  him  the 
whole  story. 

In  return,  he  told  her  his  name  was 
George,  and  that  he  was  a  soldier.  He  had 
never  before  heard  of  this  terrible  dragon, 
and  it  was  only  by  chance  that  he  was  riding 
in  the  direction  of  the  beast's  lair. 

The  Princess  then  begged  Saint  George 
to  hurry  away  before  the  dragon  caught 
sight  of  him. 

"  That  I  will  not  do,"  he  cried,  "  but  I  will 
56 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

stay  here  and  fight  this  monster,  in  the  name 
of  Christ." 

Very  soon  they  heard  the  dragon's  roar, 
and  saw  it  flying  toward  them. 

Saint  George  turned  his  horse  and  rode 
as  fast  as  he  could  at  the  dragon,  and  after  a 
hard  fight,  he  thrust  his  lance  through  the 
creature  and  pinned  it  squirming  to  the 
ground.  Then  he  asked  Cleodolinda  for 
her  girdle,  and,  tying  it  about  the  dragon, 
gave  the  Princess  the  end  of  the  sash.  They 
went  back  to  the  city,  the  dragon  crawling 
after  them  like  a  beaten  dog. 

When  the  people  saw  them  coming  to- 
ward the  city,  they  were  at  first  very  much 
frightened.  Saint  George  reassured  them, 
and  told  them  how  he  had  conquered  the 
beast  in  Christ's  name.  Then  he  cut  off  the 
dragon's  head  with  his  sword. 

He  told  the  people  all  about  the  Chris- 
tian religion,  and  converted  the  King,  the 
Princess,  and  a  very  large  number  of  the 
people. 

57 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

The  King  loaded  him  with  money  and 
jewels,  but  he  refused  these  things  for  him- 
self, and  had  them  all  distributed  among  the 
poor. 

"  Did  he  not  marry  the  Princess  ?  "  cried 
Margaret. 

No,  he  did  not.  He  went  back  to  Pales- 
tine, and  found  that  the  Emperor  Diocle- 
tian had  ordered  another  persecution  of  the 
Christians,  and  this  decree  was  fastened  up 
in  all  the  public  places. 

When  Saint  George  read  it,  he  tore  it 
down  and  trampled  upon  it. 

This  act  was  certain  proof  that  Saint 
George  was  a  Christian,  and  because  he  was 
a  soldier  of  the  Roman  army  it  was  also 
an  act  of  treason. 

He  was  condemned  to  torture  by  the  Pro- 
consul Dacian,  but  he  bore  all  his  sufferings 
bravely. 

Once  they  gave  him  poison  to  drink,  but 
he  made  the  sign  of  the  cross  over  it,  and 

58 


RlizabetKs  Charm-String 

the  poison  did  him  no  harm.  Another  time 
he  was  bound  to  a  wheel  full  of  sharp  blades, 
but  two  angels  appeared  and  broke  the 
wheel. 

Then  they  took  him  to  a  pagan  temple 
and  tried  to  make  him  offer  up  a  sacrifice  to 
the  pagan  deity,  but  he  knelt  down  and 
prayed  for  strength,  and  in  answer  to  his 
prayer  lightning  fell  from  heaven  and  de- 
stroyed the  temple. 

Papa  says  that  these  miracles  are  only 
allegories,  meant  to  express  that  God  will 
always  help  us  to  overcome  evil,  if  we  only 
try  hard  enough,  and  have  faith  in  Him. 

At  last  Dacian  gave  orders  that  Saint 
George  should  be  beheaded,  and  the  "  War- 
rior Martyr  "  knelt  down  and  bent  his  neck 
to  the  sword,  meeting  death  like  a  brave 
Christian  soldier. 

"  Genevieve,  where  did  you  read  that 
story  ?  "  inquired  Elizabeth. 

"  Papa  told  it  to  me.     He  has  photographs 
59 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

of  two  very  queer  old  pictures  that  he  saw 
in  Venice.  One  of  them  is  taken  from  a 
fresco  painted  on  the  wall  of  a  church,  by 
a  man  called  Carpaccio  ;  papa  calls  it  a  '  story  ' 
picture.  Saint  George  is  riding  the  dearest 
little  horse  as  hard  as  he  can  toward  the 
dragon  ;  his  hair  is  floating  behind ;  his  lance 
is  all  ready  to  strike.  The  Princess  is  under 
a  tree,  crying  and  wringing  her  hands;  the 
ground  is  covered  with  skulls  and  bones, 
and  away  off  in  the  distance  you  see  the 
city,  and  the  people  all  watching  their  little 
Princess. 

"  But  the  picture  I  like  best  was  painted 
by  an  artist  named  Mantegna.  Across  the 
top  hangs  a  garland  of  fruit  and  flowers,  and 
below  this  Saint  George  is  standing  alone, 
with  his  foot  on  the  dragon's  head. 

"  Papa  says  this  picture  really  means  that 
Saint  George  overcame  '  the  world,  the  flesh, 
and  the  Devil,'  which  the  dragon  represents. 
But  he  is  such  a  valiant,  handsome  little 
warrior,  that  it  is  pleasanter  to  think  of 

60 


RlizabetKs  Charm-String 


him  as  going  about  the  world  fighting  real 
dragons  and  helping  real  people.  Do  you 
not  think  so  too,  Miss  Belle  ?  " 

"  I  often  think,"  Miss  Belle  answered,  "  that 
that  version  of  a  picture  or  story  which   is 
the   greatest  personal 
help,  is  the  best  one 
to  accept." 

There  was  a  mo- 
ment's silence,  and 
then  Alma  asked, 
"Miss  Belle,  is  not  that 
little  cap  the  '  bonnet ' 
of  the  Doge  ?  " 

"  Yes,  dear,  and  if  I 
remember  rightly,  the  first  bonnet  used  was 
given  to  the  city  of  Venice  by  the  nuns  of 
San  Zaccaria,  a  very  wealthy  convent.  It 
was  made  of  pure  gold  and  gorgeously  dec- 
orated with  jewels.  The  Doge  always  wore 
it  on  occasions  of  great  ceremony,  as  the 
symbol  of  his  sovereignty." 

"  That  leaves   the   three   balls   for   Saint 
61 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

Nicholas.  Was  he  a  pawnbroker  before  he 
was  converted  ?  "  asked  Margaret. 

"  No,  but  he  was  quite  as  popular  with  very 
poor  people.  He  was,  and  is  now,  the  patron 
saint  and  protector  of  the  poor,  and  particu- 
larly of  little  children.  In  Russia,  in  Ger- 
many, and  in  all  Catholic  countries,  children 
are  taught  to  consider  themselves  under  the 
especial  care  of-  this  saint.  You  American 
children  do  him  honor,  for  he  is  none  other 
than  our  dear  Santa  Claus,  that  name  being  an 
abbreviation  or  corruption  of  Saint  Nicholas. 

"You  can  find  a  number  of  stories  about 
those  three  balls,  but  the  one  most  frequently 
told  is  this." 

THE  LEGEND  OF  SAINT  NICHOLAS 

The  balls  are  really  three  bags  of  money. 

Saint  Nicholas  was  very  rich,  but  he  spent 
all  his  money  doing  good. 

In  the  city  over  which  he  presided  as 
Bishop  lived  a  certain  nobleman  who  had 
three  very  beautiful  daughters. 

62    ' 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

This  man,  growing  poorer  day  by  day, 
could  see  no  way  of  providing  for  his 
daughters  except  by  selling  them  into  slav- 
ery, because  he  could  give  them  no  marriage 
portions. 


At  last  they  had  not  even  bread  enough 
to  eat,  and  the  father  was  in  despair. 

Saint  Nicholas,  learning  of  their  distress, 
passed  under  the  windows  of  their  home  one 
dark  night  and  tossed  in  a  bag  of  gold. 
With  this  the  nobleman  portioned  his  oldest 
daughter. 

63 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

Again  did  the  good  Bishop  throw  a  bag 
of  gold  through  the  window,  and  with  it  the 
second  daughter  was  married  off. 

But  when  Saint  Nicholas  came  a  third 
time,  the  nobleman,  who  had  been  watching 
in  hopes  of  discovering  his  benefactor,  saw 
him,  and,  falling  at  his  feet,  kissed  them 
gratefully. 

Saint  Nicholas,  however,  made  the  noble- 
man promise  not  to  tell  any  one  who  had 
helped  his  daughters,  for  the  Bishop  was  one 
of  those  people  "  who  do  good  by  stealth 
and  blush  to  find  it  fame." 


64 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE    IMP   OF   LINCOLN 

IF  Aunt  Belle  is  not  too  tired,  there  is 
just   time   for   one   more   story  before 
lunch,"  said  Mrs.  Staats.     "  That  must 
satisfy  you  for  to-day.     Indeed,  I  do  not  be- 
lieve your  small   heads    can   carry   all   you 
have  heard  this  morning." 

"  I  am  not  at  all  tired,  and  I  love  these  old 
legends  as  much  as  the  children  do.  You 
choose  next,  Genevieve,  as  a  reward  for  tell- 
ing your  story  so  prettily." 

"  Miss  Belle,  to  hear  about  so  many  saints 
at  one  time  has  made  me  feel  so  hopelessly 
naughty,"  sighed  Genevieve,  "  suppose  you 
tell  us  next  about  this  jolly-looking  little 
Devil.  Maybe  that  will  even  things  up  a 
little  by  making  me  feel  that  there  are  worse 
beings  than  myself." 
5  65 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

"  It  is  rather  queer,"  began  Miss  Belle, 
"  but  the  home  of  that  saucy  little  chap  is  in 
a  famous  cathedral,  and  we  must  go  all  the 
way  to  England  to  learn  about  him. 

"  A  few  hours'  ride  from  London  is  the  old 
town  of  Lincoln.  It  scrambles  up  and  down 


the  sides  of  a  hill,  the 
summit  of  which  is 
crowned  by  one  of  the  grandest  cathedrals 
in  the  world,  and  on  that  hilltop  the  wind 
seems  never  to  stop  blowing. 

"  In  the  old  monastic  days  it  is  said  that 
each  newly  appointed  Bishop  was  obliged  to 

66 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 


ascend  this  hill  on  his  knees,  but  I  suppose 
the  glory  awaiting  him  at  the  end  of  this 
penance  was  compensation  for  the  humiliat- 
ing method  of  reaching  it. 

"In  the  Lincoln  Cathedral,  the  '  choir '  — 
or  place  occupied  by  the  priests  and  choris- 
ters while  chanting  the  service  —  is  a  won- 
derful example  of  pure 
Gothic  architecture,  and 
it  is  called  the  'Angel 
Choir '  because  of  its 
many  beautifully  sculp-  '••;( 
tured  angels. 

"  Seated  in  the  midst 
of  this  angelic  host  you 
will  see  that  little  Imp, 
his  ears  cocked  up  im- 
pertinently, and  one  leg  carelessly  crossed 
over  the  other. 

"  The  old  legend  I  am  going  to  tell  you 
about  says  that  as  long  as  he  sits  there  in- 
side the  cathedral  the  wind  must  keep  on 
blowing  outside. 

67 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

"  Near  the  cathedral  is  a  little  shop  where 
photographs  of  the  church  and  images  of  the 
Imp  are  sold,  and  here  also  you  can  buy  the 
legend  of  the  Imp  quaintly  told  in  rhyme. 

"  I  am  going  to  read  this  to  you,  because  it 
tells  the  story  so  very  much  better  than  I  can 
relate  it." 

THE   LEGEND  OF  THE  IMP  OF  LINCOLN 

The  Devil  was  in  a  good-humor  one  day, 
And  let  out  his  sprightly  young  demons  to  play. 
One  dived  in  the  sea,  and  was  not  at  all  wet ; 
One  jumped  in  a  furnace,  no  scorch  did  he  get; 
One  rode  on  a  rainbow;  one  played  with  the  dirt; 
One  handled  forked  lightning,  nor  got  any  hurt; 
One  rode  on  the  wind,  as  he  would  on  a  steed, 
And  thus  to    "  Old    Lindum "    was    carried   with 

speed. 
"  And   now,"   says  the  Imp,   "  take  me  into  the 

church, 

His  Lordship  of  Lindum  we  '11  knock  off  his  perch. 
We'll  blowup  the  Chapter,  and  blowup  the  Dean, 
The  Canons  we'll  cannon  right  over  the  screen. 
We  '11  blow  up  the  singers,  bass,  tenor,  and  boy, 
And  the  blower  himself  shall  a  blowing  enjoy. 
68 


RlizabetKs  Charm-String 

The  organist,  too,  shall  right  speedily  find 
That  I  '11  go  one  better  in  raising  the  wind. 
We  '11  blow  out  the  windows  and  blow  out  the  lights, 
Tear  vestments  to  tatters,  put  ritual  to  rights. 
Now  the  wind  has  his  faults,  but  you  '11  find  on  the 

whole, 

If  somewhat  uncouth,  he  's  an  orthodox  soul; 
He  would  n't  blow  hard  on  a  Monarch,  I  ween, 
Nor  ruffle  the  robes  of  a  Bishop  or  Dean. 
And  if  for  Dissenters  he  cares  not  the  least, 
You  won't  catch  him  blowing  up  Deacon  or  Priest. 
The  man  in  the  street  he  may  rudely  unrig, 
But  he  snatches  not  Judge's  or  Barrister's  wig. 
When  he  enters  a  church,  as  the  musical  know, 
T  is  only  to  make  the  great  organ  pipes  blow. 
So  in  sorrowful  anger  he  said  to  the  elf, 
"  No  !  here  /  shall  stop,  you  may  go  by  yourself." 
The  impudent  Imp  in  derision  replied, 
"  Such  half-hearted  folks  are  much  better  outside. 
To  force  you  to  enter  I  cannot,  but  see, 
Till  I've  finished  my  fun,  you  must  wait  here  for 

me" 

Then  he  entered  the  porch  in  an  imp-ious  way, 
Declaring  the  nave  should  be  spell'd  with  a  k. 
He  roamed  through  each  transept,  he  stroll'd  in 

each  aisle, 
Then  he  thought  in  the  choir  he  would  romp  for 

a  while. 

69 


Elizabeth's  Charm-String 

As  he   passed  'neath  the    rood  no   obeisance   he 

made, 

No  rev'rence  at  all  to  the  altar  he  paid. 
He  thumbed  both  the  Priest's  and  the  Chorister's 

books, 

And  cast  on  the  saints  his  most  insolent  looks. 
The  chalice  and  patens  were  safe  in  a  box; 
He  was  stopp'd  in  the  act  of  unpicking  the  locks. 
For,  seeing  some  angels,  he  cried,  "  Pretty  things, 
A  sackful  of  feathers  I  '11  pluck  from  your  wings, 
To  make  me  a  couch  when  I  'm  tired  of  this  joke." 
Ah !  soon  he  was  sorry  that  rudely  he  spoke, 
For  the  tiniest  angel  in  dignified  tone 
Cried,  "  Imp-ious  Imp,  be  ye  turned  into  stone !  " 
As  he  was,  as  you  '11  see  when  to  Lincoln  you 

stray ; 
And  the  wind  has  been  waiting  outside  till  this 

day. 

You  can't  see  the  wind,  but  no  matter  for  that ; 
Believe  !  or  he  '11  rob  you  of  cloak  or  of  hat. 

"  How  do  you  feel  now,  Genevieve  ?  "  slyly 
asked  Marie. 

"  Hungry,"  was  the  prompt  reply,  for  just 
then  the  luncheon  bell  rang. 


70 


CHAPTER  ..IX 


THE   SANTISSIMO  BAMBINO  — THE    MADONNA 
OF   SAN   AGOSTINO 


f       ~^HE  next  morning  dawned  with  the 
rain  still  falling  steadily. 

"  I  am  afraid,  children,"  said  Mrs. 
Staats,  as  she  stood  looking  out  of  the  din- 
ing-room window,  "  that  you  have  struck  very 
bad  weather,  and  will  not  be  able  to  have 
much  outdoor  pleasure  during  your  visit." 

"  Do  not  bother  about  that,"  said  Gene- 
vieve,  who  never  would  look  at  the  dark  side 
of  things.  "We  can  have  good  weather  and 
tennis  and  that  sort  of  thing  at  any  time, 
but  Miss  Belle  and  her  stories  are  very 
scarce  articles,  so  we  will  take  all  we  can 
get,  and  be  thankful." 

The  other  girls  echoed  these  sentiments, 
and  before  long  they  were  all  comfortably 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 


seated    in    the  big   hall,  waiting   for    Marie 
Gardiner  to  select  a  charm. 

"  Here  is  a  little  silver  baby  wrapped  up 
something  like  an  In- 
dian papoose,"  she 
finally  said,  "  only  this 
baby  wears  a  crown. 
Is  it  a  royal  baby,  Miss 
Belle?"  ' 

"  No,  indeed  !  It  is 
a  far  more  important 
personage.  That  is  the 
'  Santissimo  Bambino,' 
the  '  Holy  Baby'  of 
Rome.  It  is  very  often 
called  the  '  Miraculous 
Little  Doctor  of  Rome,' 
because,  according  to 
the  popular  belief,  it  has  effected  more  won- 
derful cures  and  earned  more  money  by  its 
services  than  all  the  medical  men  in  Rome 
put  together. 

"  What  does  it  look  like  ?  you  ask." 
72 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

THE  SANTISSIMO  BAMBINO 

.  The  Santissimo  Bambino  is  a  large  wooden 
doll,  wrapped,  as  are  nearly  all  Italian  babies, 
in  swaddling  clothes,  and  it  wears  a  crown, 
just  as  you  see  it  on  the  charm-string.  Baby 
and  crown  are  covered  with  a  mass  of  gold 
and  jewelled  ornaments,  the  gifts  of  people 
who  believe  themselves  to  have  been  cured 
by  the  Bambino's  help,  and  its  history,  so  far 
as  I  could  learn  it,  is  as  wonderful  as  its  cures. 
Long,  long  ago  there  lived  in  Palestine  a 
Franciscan  monk,  who  desired  very  much  to 
own  an  image  of  the  infant  Jesus,  to  hang  on 
the  bare  walls  of  his  little  cell. 

He  was  too  poor  to  buy  one,  so  he  cut  a 
piece  of  wood  from  a  tree  that  was  growing 
on  the  Mount  of  Olives,  and  out  of  this 
carved  the  figure  of  a  little  child. 

The  monk  could  carve  quite  well,  but  he 
knew  very  little  about  the  art  of  painting, 
and  all  his  efforts  to  color  the  features  of  his 
image  were  very  unsatisfactory. 

73 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

One  day,  when  he  felt  completely  dis- 
couraged by  his  many  failures,  he  happened 
to  remember  that  Saint  Luke,  while  on  earth, 
had  painted  several  pictures  of  the  Virgin 
Mary  and  of  Christ. 

The  pious  monk  fasted  all  day,  praying 
earnestly  to  Saint  Luke  for  help  and  inspira- 
tion, and  went  to  sleep  at  night  feeling  sure 
that  his  prayers  would  be  answered.  While 
he  was  sleeping,  Saint  Luke  came  down  from 
heaven  and  finished  painting  the  little  image. 

Saint  Luke  was  a  physician  as  well  as  an 
artist,  so  perhaps  he  also  gave  to  the  Bam- 
bino its  miraculous  power  of  healing. 

When  the  monk  awoke  and  saw  the  sweet 
face  of  the  child  Jesus  smiling  at  him,  he 
was  overcome  with  joy,  and,  falling  on  his 
knees,  offered  grateful  thanks  to  the  kind 
saint  who  had  given  him  such  great  hap- 
piness. 

It  now  became  the  monk's  earnest  de- 
sire to  show  this  wonderful  image  to  the 
Pope. 

74 


RlizabetUs  Charm-String 

Receiving  permission  to  travel  from  the 
Father  Superior  of  his  convent,  the  monk 
started  on  his  long  journey  to  Rome;  but, 
sad  to  relate,  the  vessel  on  which  he  sailed 
was  wrecked,  and  every  soul  on  board 
perished. 

The  only  thing  that  escaped  the  general 
destruction  was  the  little  Bambino,  which  by 
some  supernatural  means  —  perhaps  by  the 
aid  of  Saint  Luke  —  was  floated  along  the 
Mediterranean  Sea  and  the  river  Tiber, 
until  it  rested  at  the  foot  of  the  Capitoline 
Hill  at  Rome. 

On  this  hill  stands  the  old,  old  church  of 
Ara  Cceli ;  this  name  means  "  Highest 
Heaven,"  and  is  very  appropriate,  because  to 
reach  the  front  portals  of  this  church  you 
must  climb  up  one  hundred  and  twenty-four 
steep  stone  steps. 

Nobody  seems  to  know  just  when  or  how 
the  monks  and  priests  first  discovered  the 
miraculous  power  of  the  Santissimo  Bam- 
bino, but  its  fame  spread  abroad  very  rapidly. 
75 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 


Whenever  anybody  was  seriously  ill  the 
Bambino  would  be  sent  for,  and  its  mere 
presence  in  the  sick  room  apparently  worked 

a  cure,  or  at 
least  gave  re- 
lief from  suf- 
fering. 

In  the  old 
monastic  days 
the  Santissimo 
Bambino  al- 
ways had  its 
own  private 
attendants; 
carriages  and 
horses  were 
kept  for  its 
especial  use. 
When  it  was 

sent  on  its  charitable  errands  it  was  ac- 
companied by  priests  and  acolytes,  carrying 
lighted  candles  and  burning  incense,  and  as 
they  passed  through  the  streets  every  person 
76 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

they  met  was  obliged  to  bare  the  head  and 
kneel  reverently.  Indeed,  to  a  slight  extent, 
I  believe  this  is  still  the  case. 

"  I  will  tell  you  yet  another  wonderful 
adventure  of  this  Bambino." 

A  SECOND  LEGEND 

Once  upon  a  time  a  certain  invalid  lady, 
who  had  been  greatly  benefited  by  a  short 
visit  from  the  Santissimo  Bambino,  thought 
it  would  be  a  very  fine  thing  if  she  could 
have  it  always  with  her. 

So  she  had  an  exact  copy  of  the  "  Holy 
Baby  "  made,  and  then  begged  for  another 
visit  from  the  "  Miraculous  Little  Doctor." 

After  the  attendants  had  gone  away,  leav- 
ing the  Bambino  alone  with  the  sick  lady, 
she  dressed  the  false  baby  in  the  clothes  of 
the  real  one.  So  exact  was  the  resemblance 
that  the  fraud  was  not  detected  when  the 
priests  returned  to  carry  the  Bambino  home. 

During  the  night,  which  was  a  very  stormy 
77 


Elizabettis  Charm-String 

one,  the  monks  of  Ara  Cceli  were  awakened 
by  a  loud  ringing  of  bells  and  heavy  knocks 
on  the  church  doors,  mingled  with  the  plain- 
tive cries  of  a  little  child. 

When  they  opened  the  front  doors  there 
in  the  rain  stood  the  poor  little  Bambino, 
naked,  and  shivering  with  cold. 

The  monks  could  scarcely  believe  their 
eyes,  for  they  thought  that  their  precious 
baby  was  safe  and  sound  in  its  golden 
box. 

Going  to  the  sacristy,  they  examined  the 
Bambino  they  had  put  away  so  carefully,  and 
the  deception  was  quickly  discovered. 

Stripped  of  its  stolen  finery,  the  false 
baby  was  returned  to  the  wicked  lady  who 
had  been  guilty  of  this  sacrilege. 

The  real  Bambino  was  restored  to  its 
glory  and  its  home,  and  from  that  day  to 
this  has  never  been  left  alone  when  sent  on 
its  errands  of  mercy. 

In  this  church  of  Ara  Cceli  is  a  chapel 
called  the  "  Presepio,"  or  "  Manger,"  which 
78 


Elizabeth's  Charm-String 

is  opened  only  between  Christmas  Eve  and 
the  Feast  of  Epiphany,  which  falls  on  the 
6th  of  January. 

Here  is  shown  a  tableau  representing  the 
birth  of  Christ:  in  front  are  the  Virgin  Mary 
and  Saint  Joseph ;  beside  them  the  manger 
where  the  Christ-child  lies,  and  behind  stand 
an  ox  and  an  ass ;  at  the  sides  kneel  the 
wondering  shepherds,  and  the  kings  from 
the  east  with  their  gifts ;  above  is  God  the 
Father  and  a  cloud  of  the  angelic  host.  The 
life-sized  figures  are  carved  from  wood,  and 
so  admirably  painted  and  costumed  that 
they  look  almost  like  real  people. 

On  Christmas  Eve  the  Santissimo  Bam- 
bino is  taken  from  the  sacristy  and  carried 
by  the  priests  of  Ara  Cceli  in  a  grand  pro- 
cession to  this  chapel,  and  placed  in  the  man- 
ger to  represent  the  infant  Jesus.  The  old 
church  is  dark  and  gloomy,  but  the  chapel 
is  brilliantly  lighted,  and  the  whole  effect 
is  very,  very  beautiful. 

Around  one  of  the  church  pillars  at  this 
79 


Rlizabettis  Charm-String 

time   a  platform  is  erected,  and   here,  every 
afternoon,  little  children  recite  and  sing  in  ' 
honor  of  the  Virgin   Mary,  the   Mother  of 
their  beloved  "  Bambino  Jesu." 

The  scenes  outside  the  church  are  quite 
as  interesting  as  those  within,  for  the  long 
flight  of  steps  is  filled  with  a  motley  crowd 
of  people.  Peddlers  with  baskets  full  of 
Christmas  toys,  rosaries,  medals,  and  images 
and  pictures  of  the  Bambino  cry  their  wares 
and  urge  people  to  buy.  They  probably  do  a 
thriving  business,  for  I  suppose  every  person 
in  Rome,  be  he  rich  or  poor,  noble  or  peasant, 
Roman  or  foreigner,  goes  to  the  Ara  Cceli 
during  the  twelve  days  the  "  Presepio  "  is  open 
and  the  Santissimo  Bambino  is  on  view. 

The  Feast  of  the  Epiphany  is  celebrated 
in  honor  of  the  visit  of  the  "  wise  men  from 
the  east,"  who  went  to  Bethlehem  to  worship 
the  young  Child. 

On  that  day  there  is  always  a  very  grand 
vesper  service  at  the  Ara  Cceli. 

The  altar  is  decorated  profusely  with  flow- 
So 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

ers  and  ablaze  with  lights.  The  priests  wear 
their  most  gorgeous  vestments,  and  frequently 
a  Cardinal  officiates. 

After  the  benediction  is  pronounced,  the 
priests  and  acolytes,  some  swinging  the  sil- 
ver incense  burners,  some  carrying  lighted 
candles  and  gay  banners,  march  from  the 
high  altar  to  the  "  Manger."  The  Bambino 
is  lifted  from  its  place  by  the  officiating 
priest,  and  the  procession  makes  the  circuit 
of  the  church,  stopping  at  the  front  door  to 
show  the  Bambino  to  the  crowds  kneeling 
outside. 

Then  the  chapel  is  closed  until  the  next 
Christmas  Eve,  and  the  Santissimo  Bambino 
goes  back  to  rest  in  the  sacristy  until  there 
is  another  request  for  its  presence  and  help. 

"And  do  the  Italians  really  believe  that 
the  Bambino  itself  works  all  these  miracles  ?  " 
asked  Elizabeth. 

It  was  quite   a   little   while   before    Miss 
Belle  replied  to  her  niece. 
6  81 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

"  My  dear,"  she  said  at  last,  "  I  hardly 
know  how  to  answer  you." 

THE  MADONNA  OF  SAINT  AGOSTINO 

The  Italian  peasantry  have  but  little  edu- 
cation, and  many  of  them  are  very,  very  poor. 
They  are  intensely  imaginative  and  deeply 
religious;  all  the  beauty  and  poetry  in 
their  lives  seem  to  reach  them  one  way  or 
another  through  the  church,  and  it  is  not 
at  all  astonishing  to  find  that  so  many  of  the 
lower  classes  believe  implicitly  in  the  Santis- 
simo  Bambino's  power  to  heal. 

A  large  number  of  Italian  churches  con- 
tain a  miracle-working  image  or  picture,  all 
of  which  goes  to  prove  that  such  things 
have  a  powerful  hold  on  the  imaginations 
of  these  simple  peasants. 

Educated  people  have,  of  course,  long  ago 
outgrown  these  mediaeval  beliefs,  but  many 
of  them  think  that  an  object  which  has  been 
held  in  veneration  for  several  hundred  years 
is  entitled  to  respect  on  that  score  alone. 

82 


Elizabeth's  Charm-String 

I  have  seen  many  men  and  women  of 
refinement  and  good  education  kiss  the  foot 
of  a  miracle-working  Madonna  as  humbly 
as  the  ragged,  ignorant  peasant  kneeling 
beside  them.  Most  of  these  figures  and  pic- 
tures have  many  touching  stories  connected 
with  them. 

In  the  great  church  of  Saint  Agostino 
in  Rome  is  a  famous  Madonna  which  was 
sculptured  by  skilful  hands  several  hundred 
years  ago. 

At  the  end  of  the  church  where  her  chapel 
stands,  the  walls  are  completely  covered 
with  the  grateful  offerings  of  the  people 
whom  she  has  helped,  and  the  sweet-faced 
Madonna  is  herself  covered  with  jewels. 

One  story  as  told  to  me  was  very  sweet 
and  touching.  It  said  that  the  first  prayer 
for  the  Madonna's  help  came  from  a  peasant 
woman  too  poor  to  get  medicine  for  her 
only  son,  who  lay  sick  unto  death.  She 
implored  the  Madonna  for  the  sake  of  the 
little  Jesus  to  help  her. 

83 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

The  pitying  "Mother"  sadly  answered 
that  she  would  do  so  gladly,  but  was  herself 
so  poor  that  she  could  offer  only  her  prayers 
for  the  sick  child's  recovery. 

The  good  God  answered  her  prayer  and 
the  boy  was  entirely  cured  of  his  illness. 

The  grateful  peasant  told  other  women 
how  the  Blessed  Mother  was  as  poor  as 
they  were,  and  these  simple,  kindly  people 
began  bringing  the  Madonna  their  humble 
offerings,  so  that  never  again  would  she 
be  unable  to  help  those  who  sought  her 
aid. 

"  Oh,  that  is  a  lovely  story,  Miss  Belle," 
cried  Genevieve,  "  but  why  does  not  some- 
body put  all  these  stories  into  a  book  for 
us?" 

"  Plenty  of  somebodies  have  done  so,  my 
dear,  but  you  have  never  had  your  attention 
drawn  to  them  before." 

"  I  can  almost  see  the  dust  pile  up  on  the 
covers  of  Genevieve 's  fairy-books  now,  while 

84 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

*she  devours  legends  of  saints  and  madonnas," 
said  Elizabeth,  teasingly. 

"  If  she  will  only  learn  the  beautiful 
lessons  taught  between  the  lines,  she  can 
read  nothing  better,"  her  Aunt  replied 
gently. 


CHAPTER   X 

THE    LEGEND   OF    SAINT   URSULA 

MISS     BELLE,    here    are    three 
silver  arrows  fastened  together, 
and  where  they  cross  each  other 
is  a  little  ruby  just  like  a  drop  of  blood.     Are 
they  the  symbol  of  a  martyr  who  was  pierced 
by  three  arrows  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Alma,  an  arrow  is  the  symbol  of 
Saint  Ursula,  the  patron  saint  of  maiden- 
hood, who,  with  her  eleven  thousand  maids 
of  honor,  was  martyred  at  Cologne.  Her 
legend  is  very  picturesque,  and  was  always 
a  favorite  subject  in  the  art  and  literature  of 
the  Middle  Ages. 

"  All  manner  of  doubt  has  been  cast  on  its 
probability,  but  the  most  sceptical  people 
admit  that  it  is  based  on  the  certain  fact  that 
a  noble  German  maiden  and  a  number  of  her 
companions  were  massacred  in  the  near  neigh- 

86 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

borhood  of  Cologne  because  of  their  religion. 
The  exact  date  of  this  event  is  still  a  matter 
of  dispute,  but  the  legend  can  be  traced  back 
to  the  year  600  A.D. 

"  The  number  of  maidens  killed  was  first 
definitely  mentioned  about  the  year  922  A.D. 
by  Herman,  Bishop  of  Cologne.  Prosaic 
people  insist  that  this  number  is  founded  on 
a  mistake,  made  in  translating  the  abbrevia- 
tion 'XI.  M.  V.'  to  read  'eleven  thousand 
virgins'  instead  of  'eleven  martyr  virgins.' 
Still  others  assert  that  Saint  Ursula  had  but 
one  attendant. 

"  However  that  may  have  been,  it  is  quite 
as  easy  to  believe  that  these  remarkable 
adventures  happened  to  eleven  thousand  as 
to  eleven  virgins,  and  the  larger  number 
certainly  makes  the  story  more  dramatic 
and  exciting. 

"  In  the  art  galleries  of  Europe  you  will  find 
Saint  Ursula's  legend  frequently  pictured. 
It  seems  to  have  been  very  popular  with  the 
artists  of  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries. 

87 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

"  There  are  two  famous  series  of  pictures 
setting  forth  the  history  of  Saint  Ursula,  and 
both  were  painted  towards  the  end  of  the 
fifteenth  century. 

"  One  series  is  the  work  of  Carpaccio,  the 
Italian  artist  who  painted  the  '  story '  picture 
of  Saint  George  and  the  dragon  that  Gene- 
vieve  told  you  about.  These  pictures  are 
now  in  the  Art  Academy  at  Venice,  but 
were  originally  intended  for  the  chapel  in 
the  school  of  Saint  Ursula.  This  was  a 
school  devoted  to  the  free  education  of  young 
orphan  girls,  and  so  was  very  naturally  placed 
under  the  protection  of  Saint  Ursula. 

"  The  second  series  was  painted  by  a  Ger- 
man artist,  Hans  Memling.  You  will  find 
these  pictures  in  the  sleepy  old  town  of 
Bruges  in  Belgium.  They  are  the  pride  of 
the  Hospital  of  Saint  John,  and  very  appro- 
priately decorate  a  magnificent  gold  casket, 
said  to  contain  an  arm  of  Saint  Ursula. 

"  The  Memling  pictures,  being  miniatures, 
are  possibly  the  more  interesting  of  the  two 

88 


Elizabetfis  Charm-String 


series,  and  the  quaint  daintiness  of  the  figures 
and  their  exquisite  coloring  make  the  mem- 
ory of  these  little  paintings  'a  joy  forever.' 
"  Now  for  the  legend." 

THE  LEGEND  OF  SAINT 
URSULA 

Long,  long  ago  there 
reigned  in  Brittany  a 
certain  King  Theono- 
tus  and  his  Queen, 
Daria.  They  were 
Christians,  and  had  an 
only  child,  a  beautiful 
little  girl  called  Ursula. 
far  superior  to  that  given  even  to  men  in 
those  days,  and  she  studied  all  the  "  ologies  " 
and  "onomies"  known  to  science.  One 
story  says  that  "  she  had  by  heart  everything 
that  had  happened  in  the  world  since  the 
time  of  Adam." 

Queen  Daria  died  when  her  daughter  was 
about   fifteen   years   old.      In   spite  of   her 

89 


Her  education  was 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

youth,  Ursula  was  so  well  trained  and  so 
capable  that  she  at  once  took  her  mother's 
place  at  the  Court  of  Brittany. 

She  was  not  only  perfectly  beautiful  and 
learned,  but  also  so  pious  and  kind-hearted 
that  her  fame  spread  all  over  Europe,  and 
many  kings  and  princes  wished  to  marry  her. 
She  refused  them  all,  because  she  had  really 
made  up  her  mind  never  to  marry,  but  to 
devote  her  life  to  the  cause  of  Christ  and 
the  spread  of  Christianity. 

In  those  days,  England  was  a  pagan  coun- 
try, ruled  by  the  powerful  King  Agrippinus. 
He  had  an  only  son,  whose  name  was  Conon. 
This  Prince  was  also  noted  for  his  beauty  of 
face  and  figure,  his  prowess  in  war,  and  his 
enormous  strength. 

Hearing  of  Ursula's  beauty  and  wonder- 
ful attainments,  Conon  made  up  his  mind 
that  he  would  marry  her.  Accordingly,  King 
Agrippinus  sent  ambassadors  to  Brittany  to 
demand  the  hand  of  Ursula  for  his  son. 

King  Theonotus  received  the  ambassadors 
90 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

very  courteously,  but  was  somewhat  un- 
certain what  answer  to  send  back  to  En^- 

O 

land.  He  was  afraid  to  offend  this  English 
King  by  refusing  his  request,  and  yet  he 
knew  that  his  daughter  would  refuse  to 
marry  Prince  Conon ;  but  he  had  great  faith 
in  Ursula's  tact  and  wisdom,  and  she  proved 
worthy  of  it,  for  she  settled  the  matter  to  the 
entire  satisfaction  of  all  concerned. 

A  grand  entertainment  was  given  in  honor 
of  the  ambassadors,  and  Ursula  received 
them  in  state,  arrayed  in  royal  robes,  seated 
on  a  throne  at  her  father's  side. 

She  told  them  that  she  felt  highly  honored 
at  being  asked  in  marriage  by  a  man  of  such 
renown  as  Prince  Conon,  son  of  the  mighty 
King  Agrippinus.  She  reminded  them  that 
never  before  had  she  given  a  second  thought 
to  other  men  who  had  sought  her  hand  ;  but 
now  she  would  agree  to  marry  Prince  Conon 
on  three  conditions. 

First,  he  was  to  give  Ursula  as  maids  of 
honor  the  ten  virgins  of  highest  rank  in  his 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

kingdom,  and  each  one  of  these  maidens 
must  have  a  thousand  maiden  attendants ; 
and  there  must  be  still  another  thousand  for 
Ursula's  personal  service. 

Second,  Conon  was  not  to  claim  her  as 
his  bride  for  three  years,  and  during  this  time 
she  and  her  eleven  thousand  virgins  were  to 
be  allowed  to  visit  the  holy  shrines,  where 
reposed  the  relics  of  the  greatest  martyrs. 

Third,  Conon  and  his  Court  must  be 
baptized,  for  she  refused  to  marry  any  man 
other  than  a  Christian. 

Now  the  story  hints  that  Ursula  hoped 
that  these  conditions  would  prove  too  hard 
for  Conon  to  accept ;  or,  if  he  did  agree  to 
them,  then  at  least  she  would  have  won  all 
these  thousands  of  souls  to  Christ. 

The  ambassadors  returned  to  England, 
and  gave  such  glowing  accounts  of  Ursula's 
beauty  and  cleverness,  that  Conon  agreed  at 
once  to  all  three  conditions. 

Then  King  Agrippinus  sent  heralds  to 
every  part  of  the  world  over  which  he 
92 


Rlizabetfts  Charm-String 

had  power,  and  commanded  the  maidens  of 
noblest  birth  and  greatest  beauty  to  come 
to  England.  When  the  requisite  number 
were  gathered  together,  they  were  all  sent 
to  Brittany. 

Here  Ursula  welcomed  them  with  joyful- 
ness,  and  she,  by  her  eloquence  and  good- 
ness and  her  knowledge  of  everything  that 
concerned  Christianity,  soon  converted  them 
all,  and  they  were  baptized  in  a  clear  stream 
that  flowed  through  the  gardens  of  King 
Theonotus. 

Then,  since  Conon  had  agreed  to  all  her 
conditions,  she  invited  him  to  come  to 
Brittany  and  see  her,  before  she  with  her 
eleven  thousand  attendants  set  off  on  their 
journey  to  the  holy  shrines. 

So  Conon  came  to  visit  King  Theonotus, 
and  was  received  with  all  the  honor  and 
splendor  due  to  so  great  a  Prince.  He  of 
course  fell  madly  in  love  with  Ursula,  and 
thought  no  conditions  were  too  hard  that 
could  win  him  such  a  bride. 
93 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

Ursula  requested  Conon  to  remain  in 
Brittany  during  her  absence,  and  help  King 
Theonotus  with  the  government  of  the 
country;  and  if  it  should  happen  that  God 
did  not  permit  her  to  return,  then  Conon 
was  to  inherit  the  kingdom  and  reign  in 
her  stead. 

A  few  days  later,  Ursula  and  her  eleven 
thousand  virgins  embarked  on  board  a  fleet 
of  ships  especially  prepared  for  their  journey. 
No  sailors  accompanied  them,  but  these 
noble  maidens  were  miraculously  endowed 
with  the  skill  and  strength  necessary  to 
manage  the  sails,  and  steer  the  vessel  safely. 

They  had  intended  to  sail  towards  the 
south,  but  instead,  the  vessels  were  all 
guided  by  this  same  mysterious  power  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Rhine  and  as  far  as  Cologne. 
Here  Saint  Ursula  had  a  vision,  in  which 
she  was  told  that  she  and  all  her  maidens 
would  suffer  martyrdom  on  their  return  to 
this  city. 

They  sailed  up  the  river  to  Basel ;  here 
94 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 


[01 

^gitgisg^ 


they  left  the  vessels  and  crossed   the  Alps 
on  foot.     Six  angels   guided  their  footsteps 
by  day.     Heaven  sent  them  food,  as  manna 
was  sent  to  the  Children  of  Israel ;  obstacles 
in  their  path  dis- 
appeared    as     by  k:\ 
magic;    chasms      M                 */:-   \\ 
were    bridged     as 
they   approached  ; 
the     waters     of 
mountain    tor- 
rents   parted,   and 
allowed    them    to 
pass     over     dry 
shod,  and  at  night 
tents  were  myste- 
riously prepared  to 
shelter  them. 

Day  after  day  this  army  of  Christian 
maidens  marched  along,  singing  hymns  of 
praise  and  thanksgiving  to  the  God  who  was 
protecting  them.  Saint  Ursula  had  related 
her  vision  to  them,  and  one  and  all  rejoiced 
95 


X&vpR 

•^F\\-».  '• 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

to  learn  that  they  had  been  found  worthy  to 
die  for  Christ. 

At  length  they  reached  the  Tiber  River, 
and  were  soon  at  Rome,  where  they  were 
to  visit  the  shrines  of  Saint  Peter  and  Saint 
Paul. 

At  that  time  Cyriacus  was  Bishop  of 
Rome,  a  very  holy  and  very  learned  man. 
He  had  heard  nothing  concerning  the  pil- 
grimage of  Ursula  and  her  eleven  thousand 
virgins,  and  when  he  learned  that  all  these 
beautiful,  pious  maidens  had  arrived  at  Rome, 
he  was  of  course  very  much  astonished,  and 
the  tradition  says  even  a  little  bit  frightened. 
So,  attired  in  his  pontifical  robes,  and  accom- 
panied by  all  the  Roman  priests  and  prelates 
in  procession,  he  went  forth  to  meet  Ursula 
and  her  attendants. 

Ursula  knelt  before  Cyriacus  and.explained 
the  reasons  for  this  visit  to  Rome,  related 
the  wonderful  experiences  they  had  met  with 
on  their  journey,  and  implored  the  blessing 
of  Cyriacus  on  herself  and  her  companions. 
96 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

The  Bishop  not  only  gave  them  his  bless- 
ing, but  did  all  in  his  power  for  their  honor 
and  entertainment.  In  order  that  they  might 
not  be  interrupted  in  their  devotions,  and  to 
save  them  annoyance  from  curious  people, 
tents  were  pitched  for  them  on  a  great  plain, 
just  outside  the  walls  of  Rome. 

Now,  while  Ursula  and  her  maidens  were 
receiving  the  blessing  of  Cyriacus,  who  should 
arrive  at  Rome  but  Prince  Conon.  He  had 
grown  weary  of  waiting  for  Ursula's  return, 
and  alarmed  because  no  word  had  been  sent 
to  Brittany  from  the  pilgrims,  and  so  he  set 
out  to  search  for  her  himself. 

• 

Conon  was  uncertain  how  best  to  begin 
his  quest,  but  knowing  that  Ursula  intended 
to  visit  Rome,  he  journeyed  to  that  city  by 
a  different  route,  and  by  a  strange  coinci- 
dence reached  Rome  on  the  very  same  day 
as  Ursula. 

Prince  Conon  knelt  beside  Ursula  to  re- 
ceive the  blessing  of  the  good  Bishop  also, 
and  requested  that  he  might  receive  baptism 
7  97 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

at  the  hands  of  Cyriacus.  Ursula  related  to 
Conon  the  vision  which  had  prophesied  a 
martyr's  death  for  herself  and  her  eleven 
thousand  virgins ;  and,  inspired  by  his  new 


zeal  for  Christ,  Conon  prayed  to  be  allowed 
to  share  this  martyrdom. 

After  this  glorious  company  of  maidens 
had  paid   their   respects    to   the   shrines   of 
Saint  Peter  and  Saint  Paul,  they  were  eager 
98 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

to  start  on  their  return  journey.  The  Bishop 
of  Rome  tried  to  persuade  them  to  stay  longer, 
but  they  were  all  too  desirous  of  seeking  that 
"  martyr's  crown  already  laid  up  for  them  in 
heaven." 

Now  it  happened  that  two  famous  Roman 
generals,  both  of  them  heathens,  were  visit- 
ing Rome  at  the  very  time  Ursula  and  her 
maidens  were  there.  They  were  amazed 
at  the  sight  of  all  these  lovely  young  girls, 
and  appalled  at  the  thought -that  so  many 
zealous  Christians  were  going  together  to 
Cologne.  They  feared  the  whole  German 
nation  would  be  converted  by  means  of  so 
much  beauty  and  piety,  and  made  up  their 
minds  to  ward  off  such  a  blow  to  the  pagan 
power. 

Accordingly,  they  sent  a  warning  to  the 
King  of  the  Huns,  who,  with  his  barbarians, 
was  besieging  Cologne,  and  instructed  him 
on  no  account  to  permit  these  eleven  thou- 
sand virgins  to  enter  that  city. 

Ursula  and  her  attendants,   accompanied 
99 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

by  Prince  Conon,  Cyriacus,  and  a  number 
of  priests,  set  sail,  and  after  a  long  and 
dangerous  voyage  reached  Cologne  and 
disembarked. 

They  found  the  city  surrounded  by  the 
pagan  army,  and  when  these  fierce  war- 
riors saw  a  fleet  of  vessels  arrive  filled  with 
beautiful  virgins,  instead  of  soldiers  to  re- 
inforce the  besieged  city,  they  at  first 
were  too  surprised  to  remember  the  instruc- 
tions sent  by  the  Roman  generals  to  their 
King. 

Suddenly  they  rushed  upon  their  victims. 
Prince  Conon  was  the  first  to  fall ;  pierced 
to  the  heart  by  an  arrow,  he  died  at  the  feet 
of  his  beloved  Ursula. 

How  these  brave  virgins  helped  and  sup- 
ported each  other  !  Ursula  was  here,  there, 
everywhere,  with  words  of  love  and  encour- 
agement, urging  her  companions  not  to  re- 
sist these  soldiers,  but  to  suffer  martyrdom 
willingly  and  gladly  for  Christ's  sake. 

After  the  Huns  had  killed  all  the  men 
100 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

they  fell  upon  the  maidens,  and  slaughtered 
them  like  sheep.  By  hundreds  they  were 
massacred,  until  the  plains  ran  with  their 
blood.  But  these  barbarians  were  afraid  of 
Ursula ;  they  could  not  understand  the 
power  she  wielded  over  her  companions. 
Instead  of  killing  her  they  carried  her  to 
their  King. 

This  pagan  ruler  had  never  dreamed  of 
any  one  so  beautiful  as  this  dauntless  virgin. 
He  bade  her  not  to  weep  for  her  lost  maid- 
ens, as  he  intended  to  spare  her  life  and 
make  her  his  Queen. 

Indignantly  Ursula  repulsed  him  with 
these  words :  "  O  thou  cruel  man  !  blind 
and  senseless  as  thou  art  cruel !  Thinkest 
thou  I  can  weep?  Or  dost  thou  hold  me 
so  base,  so  cowardly,  that  I  would  consent 
to  survive  my  dear  companions  and  sisters  ? 
Thou  art  deceived,  O  son  of  Satan!  for  I 
defy  thee  and  him  whom  thou  servest! " 

These  scornful  words  made  the  King  of 
the  Huns  so  furious  that  he  seized  his 
101 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

bow  and  shot  three  arrows  into  Ursula's 
heart. 

And  she  fell  before  him,  dead  in  body, 
but  alive  in  Christ  for  evermore. 

"  And  so  ends  the  story  of  Saint  Ursula 
and  her  eleven  thousand  virgins." 


102 


CHAPTER   XI 

THE   EVIL   EYE   AND   THE    LUCK   CHARMS 


Y  ""^HERE  was  a  moment's  silence, 
broken  by  an  exclamation  from 
M  Margaret.  She  held  in  her  hand  a 
bit  of  pink  coral,  sharply  pointed  and  curv- 
ing like  a  horn. 

"  Oh,  Miss  Belle !  I  have  seen  a  charm  like 
this  one  before ;  the  Italian  peddler  who 
brings  us  bananas  and  oranges  every  week 
wears  one  very  much  like  it.  He  says  it 
will  keep  off  the  *  Evil  Eye,'  whatever  that 
may  be.  Will  you  tell  us  what  it  means  ?  " 

"Yes,  my  dear,  and  you  will  find  several 
other  charms  of  the  same  nature.  I  will  tell 
about  all  of  them,  and  then  you  will  under- 
stand how  they  fit  into  each  other.  All 
Italians,  the  Neapolitans  in  particular,  are 
more  or  less  superstitious,  generally  more,  and 
103 


RlizabetJis  Charm-String 

one  thing  the  fear  of  which  seems  to  pervade 
all  classes  is  the  '  Jettatura '  or  '  Evil  Eye.' ' 

THE  EVIL  EYE 

They  believe  that  the  eyes  of  some  people 
throw  out  hurtful  rays,  and  that  the  direct 
glance  of  such  eyes  (some  authorities  say  only 
the  first  direct  glance  given  in  the  morning) 
will  bring  certain  misfortune  to  the  man  or 
beast  receiving  it.  It  is  almost  impossible 
to  trace  the  first  reason  why  this  capacity  for 
evil  is  ascribed  to  a  certain  person;  it  may 
arise  from  some  trifling  coincidence,  or  from 
a  word  dropped  by  some  spiteful  neighbor. 

Its  owner  is  probably  as  innocent  of  evil 
intentions  as  a  baby,  but  whatever  the  cause, 
if  this  reputation  is  once  acquired,  the  unfor- 
tunate possessor  seldom  gets  rid  of  it,  and 
the  simplest  actions  often  seem  proof  that  it 
is  deserved.  By  way  of  illustration  I  will 
tell  you  a  little  anecdote  I  once  heard. 

The  reign  of  Pope  Pius  IX  was  very 
stormy  and  eventful,  but  in  some  respects 
104 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 


he  was  one  of  the  most  popular  popes  who 
ever  ruled  at  the  Vatican. 

One  day,  shortly  after  his  election  to  the 
"  Chair  of  Saint  Peter,"  he  was  driving 
through  the  city,  and,  chancing  to  look 
upward,  his  eyes  fell 
directly  on  a  little 
baby,  held  by  its  nurse 
near  an  open  window. 

At  that  instant  the 
child  gave  a  sudden 
start,  fell  from  the 
woman's  arms  to  the 
pavement  below,  and 
was  instantly  killed. 

Now  nobody  was 
silly  enough  to  sup- 
pose that  this  beloved 
Pope  —  a  very  gracious  and  kind-hearted 
man  —  intended  to  harm  this  innocent  little 
child,  yet  to  the  day  of  his  death  Pius  IX 
was  accused  by  his  enemies  of  possessing 
the  "Evil  Eye." 

105 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

The  little  coral  horn  is  supposed  to  ward 
off  entirely  this  baneful  influence,  just  how 
I  cannot  say,  unless  the  glances  cast  by 
the  "  Evil  Eye "  are  impaled  on  its  sharp 
point.  At  any  rate,  the  charm  is  worn  by 
nearly  everybody  in  Italy,  high  and  low, 
educated  and  ignorant,  from  the  King  and 
Queen  to  their  lowliest  subject. 

There  are  many  other  charms  worn  to 
bring  good  or  avert  bad  luck.  Look  at  that 
tiny  hunchbacked  man  holding  his  hat  in 
the  act  of  bowing :  to  meet  and  be  greeted 
by  a  hunchback  is  believed  to  bring  one  a 
piece  of  good  fortune  or  a  great  happiness. 

Miss  Belle  turned  over  the  charms,  laugh- 
ing as  she  did  so. 

"  In  my  school  days,"  she  continued,  "  when 
one  little  girl  became  very,  very  angry  with 
another  she  would  say,  '  I  cross  my  fingers 
on  you,'  making  at  the  same  time  a  sign 
something  like  this."  Miss  Belle  held  up 
a  silver  hand,  with  the  middle  finger  crossed 
over  the  first  one. 

1 06 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

"  This  gesture  is  a  sign  of  anger,  and  is 
supposed  to  invoke  a  curse  on  the  head  of 
the  person  against  whom  it  is  made.  Like  a 
flash  the  hand  of  the  latter  will  be  extended 
in  this  fashion."  Here  Miss  Belle  picked 
out  a  second  little  hand,  with  the  first  and 
little  fingers  extended  like  horns,  while  the 
thumb  held  the  other  fingers  against  the 
palm  of  the  hand. 

"  This  charm  turns  aside  the  malediction, 
causing  it  to  fall  harmless.  The  sign  of  the 
two  horns  is  also  made  at  the  approach  of 
any  person  supposed  to  possess  the  '  Evil 
Eye,'  but  in  that  case  it  is  made  stealthily, 
for  it  is  a  deadly  insult  to  even  insinu- 
ate that  any  person  owns  that  very  unde- 
sirable attribute.  As  I  have  already  told 
you,  such  an  accusation  is  always  made 
secretly,  and  no  one  ever  knows  when, 
where,  or  how  the  first  suspicion  of  it  is 
whispered. 

"  In  Naples,  where  I  bought  these  silver 
hands,  there  seems  to  be  a  superstition  of 
107 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

some  kind  attached 
to  nearly  everything 
one  says  or  does. 

"If    while 
talking    to    a 

N  eapolitan 

.—-«"- ww''»"f —      " f'^Y'ffx   ' 

f(f$\i\'$  sP  |||M_.-  Peasant    y°u 


happen    to 

rJtW/fM**1™™ 

%p   praise    any- 


thing  belong- 
ing to  him,  his 
children,  his  home,  his 
crops,  he  will  probably 
spit  at  your  feet ;   if  you 
happen  to  be  posted  as 
to  the  proper  thing  to 
do,   you    will    certainly 
expectorate  in  return. 

"  I  used  to  wonder  if  this  very  inelegant 
practice  was  not  first  cousin  to  the  almost 
universal  custom  of  '  knocking  on  wood,' 
when  we  speak  too  confidently  of  present 
good  fortune.  Some  day  I  mean  to  study 
1 08 


RlizabetKs  Charm-String 

up  the  origin  of  some  of  these  queer  super- 
stitions, because  I  enjoy  these  old  stories 
quite  as  much  as  any  of  you  children." 

"  Please  put  them  into  a  story-book,  Miss 
Belle,"  said  Alma,  "  and  give  each  of  us  a 
copy,  with  the  autograph  of  the  talented 
compiler  on  the  fly-leaf." 


109 


3*  W''-1^-'--'1 


CHAPTER   XII 

THE   LEGEND    OF    COLOGNE   CATHEDRAL 

YOU   children   are  getting  too 
greedy,"  interrupted  Mrs.  Staats, 
laughingly.      "  Belle,     you    have 
given  each  of  the  little  girls  a  chance;  now 
will  you  not  allow  us  grown  people  to  have 
a  turn? 

"  I  am  anxious  to  know  why  this  pretty 
medal,  with  the  Cathedral  of  Cologne  so 
finely  etched  on  one  side,  should  have  a  devil 
on  the  other,  horns,  hoofs,  pitchfork,  and  all." 
"  It  does  seem  rather  contradictory,"  be- 
gan Miss  Belle,  "  but  somehow  or  other  the 
Devil  seems  to  have  had  a  finger  in  that 

1 10 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

cathedral's  pie  from  the  time  it  was  first  de- 
signed until  it  was  finished  in  1880.  Many 
were  the  trials,  tribulations,  and  delays  the 
cathedral  suffered,  and  in  all  of  them  the 
Devil  seems  to  have  had  a  share.  There 
are  so  many  legends  about  the  connection 
of  his  Satanic  Majesty  with  this  church  that 
I  may  not  have  pieced  them  together  cor- 
rectly, but  some  day  you  can  read  them  all 
and  judge  for  yourselves." 

COLOGNE  CATHEDRAL 

The  first  church  built  on  this  site  is  said 
to  date  back  to  the  time  of  Charlemagne 
in  the  ninth  century,  but  this  edifice  (or  its 
successor)  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1248. 

When  the  good  and  holy  Engelbert  was 
made  Bishop  of  Cologne,  he  decided  that  the 
cathedral  must  be  rebuilt,  and  made  up  his 
mind  that  the  new  edifice  should  be  the 
finest  the  world  had  ever  seen. 

He  sent  for  a  young  and  ambitious  archi- 
tect, and  bade  him  draw  the  plans  for  a 
in 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

cathedral  to  surpass  in  grandeur  and  beauty 
every  other  church  in  the  world. 

To  this  the  architect  modestly  agreed,  but 
as  he  had  not  seen  all  the  most  famous 
churches,  he  asked  permission  to  visit  those 
he  knew  nothing  about  except  from  pictures. 

The  Bishop  gave  him  a  year's  leave  of 
absence,  and  supplied  him  with  money  for 
his  journey. 

The  architect  made  good  use  of  his  time, 
studied  diligently,  and  returned  to  Cologne 
prepared,  so  he  thought,  to  carry  out  the 
wishes  of  Bishop  Engelbert. 

Full  of  enthusiasm,  he  began  his  task,  but 
his  ringers  obstinately  refused  to  execute  the 
ideas  that  filled  his  brain;  no  matter  how 
beautiful  the  drawing  might  be,  it  was  not 
equal  to  the  church  of  his  imagination. 

Again  and  again  he  drew  the  designs. 
They  never  satisfied  him,  and  he  was  almost 
in  despair,  for  the  time  allowed  him  by  the 
Bishop  was  nearly  expired. 

One  afternoon  he  was  walking  along  the 

112 


Rlizabeth's  Charm-String 

bank  of  the  Rhine,  when  an  inspiration  seized 
him,  and  with  his  cane  he  drew  in  the  hard 
sand  a  wonderfully  beautiful  design. 

Heaving  a  great  sigh  of  relief,  he  turned 
homeward  with  the  intention  of  putting  this 
drawing  on  paper,  and  found  himself  con- 
fronted by  a  little  dried-up  old  man,  who, 
with  a  jeering  laugh,  asked  why  he  had  drawn 
the  Cathedral  of  Strassburg  on  the  sand. 

To  the  architect's  great  disappointment, 
a  little  study  proved  this  to  be  the  case. 

He  tried  again,  and  when  he  had  finished 
the  second  tracing,  turned  to  the  old  man 
and  pointed  to  this  new  design. 

"  What  a  traveller  you  must  have  been," 
was  the  sarcastic  response.  "  You  have  drawn 
an  excellent  picture  of  Canterbury  Cathedral." 

The  exasperated  architect  made  a  third 
attempt,  and  again  his  memory  played  him 
false,  for  the  little  old  man  with  a  sneer  sug- 
gested that  the  drawing  must  have  been  the 
result  of  a  visit  to  the  Cathedral  of  Amiens. 

"  Very  well,"  retorted  the  architect,  "  since 
8  113 


RlizabetKs  Charm-String 

you  know  so  much  about  church  architect- 
ure, suppose  you  draw  an  original  design 
yourself." 

The  old  man  laughed  in  a  very  irritating 
manner,  and  then,  seizing  the  cane,  began  to 
draw  with  incredible  rapidity. 

Each  line  shone  as  if  traced  with  phospho- 
rus, disappearing  almost  as  quickly  as  it  was 
made,  but  the  architect  could  see  that  the 
design  was  the  very  one  which  had  so  per- 
sistently eluded  him,  except  that  it  was  even 
more  beautiful  than  his  wildest  dreams. 

Overcome  with  astonishment,  he  demanded 
the  strange  architect's  name. 

"  I  am  the  Devil,"  was  the  startling  reply, 
"  and  I  will  give  you  my  design  in  exchange 
for  your  soul." 

The  architect  indignantly  refused  this  offer 
and  made  the  sign  of  the  cross.  Immedi- 
ately the  Devil  disappeared. 

The  architect  went  home,  and  tried  in  vain 
to  reproduce  the  Devil's  drawings. 

Day  after  day  passed,  and  Bishop  Engel- 
114 


Elizabettis  Charm-String 

bert  began  to  grow  a  little  impatient  at  this 
long  delay. 

Every  time  the  architect  ventured  to  walk 
on  the  river  bank,  the  Devil  appeared  and 
renewed  his  offer,  and  at  last,  overcome  by 
his  intense  desire  to  possess  this  grand  de- 
sign, the  ambitious  architect  yielded  to  the 
temptation. 

The  terms  of  the  bargain  were  arranged, 
and  a  time  appointed  for  the  delivery  of  the 
practical  drawings. 

Now  right  here  come  in  two  stories  re- 
garding the  means  by  which  the  architect 
gained  possession  of  the  designs.  I  will  tell 
you  both  of  them. 

One  relates  how  the  architect's  conscience 
troubled  him  so  much  that  he  told  the  whole 
story  while  talking  in  his  sleep,  and  was 
overheard  by  his  mother. 

The  next  morning  she  repeated  to  her  son 
what  she  had  heard,  and  told  him  he  must 
go  to  a  priest,  confess  this  awful  sin,  and 
receive  absolution  and  advice. 
"5 


RlizabetHs  Charm-String 

The  architect  obeyed  his  mother,  and  told 
his  confessor  everything. 

Now,  for  the  glory  of  the  church,  the  priest 
of  course  wished  to  get  possession  of  the 
Devil's  plans,  but  he  was 
not  willing  to  give  a 
Christian  soul  in  ex- 
change. 

He  put  his  wits  to  work, 
and  devised  a  plan  which 
promised  to  be  successful. 
The  priest  gave  the 
architect  a  crucifix  con- 
taining a  small  piece  of 
the  true  cross,  and  in- 
structed him,  on  some  pretext  or  other,  to 
get  possession  of  the  plans.  He  was  then 
to  touch  the  Devil  with  the  crucifix,  and 
the  power  of  the  cross  would  overcome  the 
power  of  evil. 

Armed  with  the  crucifix  and  this  ad- 
vice, the  architect  went  to  the  place  of 
meeting. 

116 


Elizabetfis  Charm-String 

The  Devil  insisted  that  the  written  con- 
tract should  be  signed  with  the  architect's 
blood,  but  there  was  no  knife  convenient, 
wherewith  to  obtain  this  gruesome  kind  of 
ink. 

The  Devil  turned  around  to  look  for  a 
sharp  stone,  and  carelessly  laid  his  plans  on 
the  ground  ;  they  were  at  once  seized  by  the 
architect,  who  retreated  backward,  holding 
the  cross  between  himself  and  the  Devil. 

The  Devil  tried  very  hard  to  recover  his 
papers,  but  every  time  he  contrived  to  reach 
the  architect  and  grasp  them,  the  touch  of  the 
crucifix  compelled  him  to  let  go  his  hold. 

Beside  himself  with  rage  at  being  thus 
outwitted,  the  Devil  swore  a  fearful  oath  to 
the  effect  that  the  cathedral  should  never  be 
finished  without  his  consent,  and  that  the 
architect  should  never  receive  any  credit  for 
its  construction. 

When    the    designs    were    submitted   to 
Bishop  Engelbert  for  his  approval,  he  was 
greatly  delighted  with  them. 
117 


Elizabet/Ks  Charm-String 

Work  on  the  new  cathedral  was  begun, 
according  to  most  authorities,  in  1270  A.D., 
and  progressed  rapidly  for  a  number  of 
years. 

The  Bishop  insisted  that  the  name  of  the 
architect  should  be  cut  in  huge  letters  on 
one  of  the  immense  stones  intended  for  the 
tower,  in  order  that  future  generations  might 
do  honor  to  the  man  in  whose  brain  the 
designs  for  this  stupendous  work  had  been 
conceived. 

One  fatal  day,  however,  the  architect  was 
standing  on  the  wall  of  the  cathedral,  watch- 
ing this  very  block  being  lowered  into  its 
place. 

Suddenly  he  heard  a  muffled  laugh,  and, 
turning  around,  saw  the  Devil  behind  him 
grinning  horribly.  In  his  consternation  he 
stepped  on  the  big  stone,  thereby  disturbing 
its  balance.  Down  went  the  huge  mass, 
carrying  the  architect  with  it,  but  as  he  fell 
he  cried  to  God  to  have  mercy  on  his  soul, 
and  when  the  Devil  heard  this  prayer  he 
118 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

disappeared    with    a    yell    of    disappointed 
rage. 

Now,  it  is  a  curious  fact  that  while  you 
can  see  at  Cologne  the  original  drawings 
for  its  cathedral,  the  name  of  the  architect 
is  utterly  unknown,  just  as  the  Devil  had 
sworn  should  be  the  case. 

The  second  story  is  less  dramatic.  Ac- 
cording to  this  version,  the  bargain  between 
the  architect  and  the  Devil  was  arranged  in 
a  most  friendly  manner:  the  former  received 
the  designs ;  when  he  died  the  Devil  was  to 
claim  his  soul. 

Great  praise  and  many  honors  were  show- 
ered on  the  fortunate  architect,  and  Bishop 
Engelbert  ordered  that  his  name  should 
be  engraved  on  a  gold  plate,  and  this  was  to 
be  fastened  up  in  a  conspicuous  place. 

The  architect  fell  sick,  and  was  nigh  unto 
death.  His  conscience  tormented  him  night 
and  day,  until  he  could  stand  it  no  longer, 
and,  sending  for  Bishop  Engelbert,  he  con- 
fessed his  sin. 

119 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

The  Bishop  gave  him  absolution,  but  as 
a  punishment  for  his  crime  the  gold  plate 
was  taken  down,  and  the  Bishop  ordered 
that  the  architect's  name  should  never  again 
be  mentioned,  so  that  in  time  it  was  com- 
pletely forgotten. 

The  Devil  was  furious,  and  swore  that 
since  he  had  lost  the  architect's  soul,  he 
would  claim  the  soul  of  the  first  person  to 
cross  the  threshold  of  the  church,  whenever 
the  first  Mass  was  sung. 

The  building  proceeded  in  a  spasmodic 
sort  of  fashion,  until  the  cathedral  was  far 
enough  advanced  to  be  used  for  worship  ; 
but  the  people  had  not  forgotten  the  Devil's 
oath,  and  were  afraid  to  enter  the  church. 

At  last  a  certain  wicked  woman,  who  had 
been  condemned  to  death,  agreed  to  be  the 
first  to  enter,  on  condition  that  her  life  be 
spared  should  she  succeed  in  eluding  the 
Devil. 

This  was  agreed  to,  and  on  the  appointed 
day  she  approached  the  portal  on  her  hands 
120 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 


and  knees,  hold- 
ing something  in 
front  of  her  hid- 
den by  a  cloth. 

The  Devil  was 
waiting,  and  just 
as  he  was  about 
to  seize  her,  she 
let  loose  into  his 
hand  a  young 
pig,  and  herself 
jumped  over  the 
threshold  where 
the  Devil  could 
not  follow. 

Agai  n  the 
Devil  swore  an 
oath,  vowing 
that  the  cathe- 
dral should  never 
be  finished  until  he  gave  his  consent. 

Whichever   story   you    prefer,   the   actual 
history  of  the  cathedral  could  easily  give  one 

121 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

the  impression  that  the  Devil  tried  hard  to 
keep  his  word. 

All  work  on  the  cathedral  ceased  about 
the  year  1509,  and  for  over  three  hundred 
years  the  work  was  at  a  complete  standstill, 
and  in  time,  all  the  space  surrounding  the 
church  became  occupied  by  houses  and 
shops. 

Whether  the  Devil  finally  ceased  troub- 
ling and  gave  his  consent  the  stories  do  not 
say,  but  in  1823  the  work  was  resumed,  and 
a  lottery  was  established  for  the  purpose  of 
raising  the  funds  necessary  for  the  comple- 
tion of  the  cathedral. 

It  was  at  last  finished,  and  was  dedicated 
in  1880,  some  six  hundred  years  after  its 
foundations  were  laid  ;  and  I  have  sometimes 
wondered  if  the  Devil  of  these  legends  was 
on  hand  during  the  festivities  attending  the 
dedication,  congratulating  himself  on  his 
share  of  the  work. 

But  no  matter  who  the  architect  may  have 
been,  the  result  is  very  grand,  and  the  Cathe- 

122 


•• 


MM      It 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

dral  of  Cologne  is  considered  by  many  au- 
thorities to  be  the  noblest  edifice  of  its  kind 
in  the  world. 


"  And  have  they  any  precious  relics  or 
bodies  of  saints  in  that  cathedral,  Miss 
Belle?"  asked  Margaret. 

"  Oh,  yes,  indeed !  They  have  quite  a 
number  of  them,  but  their  chief  treasure  is 
older  than  all  the  saints  in  the  calendar. 

"  In  the  treasury  of  the  cathedral  you  can 
see  a  magnificent  gold  shrine  richly  jewelled, 
and  in  it  repose  the  '  Skulls  of  the  Magi,' 
the  *  Three  Kings  from  the  East '  who  went 
to  Bethlehem  to  see  and  worship  Jesus,  the 
'  King  of  the  World.' " 


123 


CHAPTER   XIII 

THE  LEGEND  OF  THE  TRUE  CROSS 

BELLE,    what    is   a    tiny    iron    nail 
doing  in   company  with   all   these 
dainty   gold    and    silver    things  ? " 
asked   Mrs.  Curtis. 

"That  little  nail,"  replied  Belle,  "was 
modelled  from  one  which,  according  to  tra- 
dition, was  used  at  the  crucifixion  of  Christ." 

LEGEND  OF  THE  TRUE  CROSS 

In  the  various  churches  of  Rome  are 
treasured  many  precious  relics  associated 
with  our  Saviour.  Perhaps  the  most  inter- 
esting of  these  relics  are  a  portion  of  the 
true  cross,  one  of  the  nails  with  which  Christ 
was  fastened  to  the  cross,  and  the  "  Three- 
fold Title  of  Accusation."  The  latter  name 
is  given  to  the  white  board  on  which,  by 
124 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

Pilate's  orders,  the  Jews  painted  in  red 
letters  the  mock  title,  "Jesus  of  Nazareth, 
King  of  the  Jews,"  in  Greek,  Latin,  and 
Hebrew. 

Each  step  in  the  legendary  history  of  the 
true  cross  is  beset  with  so  many  traditions 
that  it  would  be  impossible  to  tell  you  a 
quarter  of  them;  but  I  mean  to  follow  one 
direct  line  of  events,  and  so  give  you,  so  far 
as  I  can,  a  fairly  continuous  story.  We 
must  go  back  almost  to  the  beginning  of 
time.  You  all  know  the  story  of  Adam  and 
Eve;  how  they  ate  of  the  forbidden  fruit, 
and  for  their  disobedience  to  God's  com- 
mands were  driven  out  of  the  Garden  of 
Eden. 

In  order  to  protect  the  Tree  of  Life, 
which  grew  in  the  midst  of  the  garden,  God 
placed  at  the  gate  a  cherubim  with  a  flaming 
sword  that  turned  in  every  direction. 

The  Bible  tells  us  that  Adam  lived  to  be 
nine  hundred  and  thirty  years  old,  but  when 
the  time  came  for  him  to  die  he  wanted  to 
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Elizabeths  Charm-String 

live  still  longer,  and  sought  for  some  means 
to  prolong  his  life. 

Remembering  how  happy  he  had  been  in 
the  Garden  of  Eden,  Adam  bade  his  son  Seth 
return  there,  and  beg  from  the  guardian 
angel  some  fruit  from  the  Tree  of  Life,  or 
a  few  drops  of  the  Oil  of  Mercy  which 
flowed  from  it. 

Seth  was  to  find  the  way  by  tracing  the 
footprints  made  by  Adam  and  Eve  when 
they  fled  from  the  garden ;  these  he  would 
find  deeply  imbedded  in  the  soil. 

By  this  means  Seth  succeeded  in  reaching 
the  Garden  of  Eden,  and  humbly  begged  the 
cherubim  to  grant  Adam's  request. 

The  angel  sternly  refused,  and  told  Seth 
that  five  thousand  and  five  hundred  years 
must  pass  away  before  the  Oil  of  Mercy 
would  drop  on  Adam's  head. 

Seth  was  so  disappointed  that  the  cher- 
ubim felt  sorry  for  him,  and,  holding  back 
the  whirling  sword,  told  Seth  to  look  within 
the  garden. 

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ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

Seth's  longing  eyes  rested  on  the  Tree 
of  Life,  which  stood  in  the  very  centre  of 
the  garden ;  on  its  topmost  branch  stood  a 
beautiful  young  woman,  holding  in  her  arms 
a  smiling  baby. 

The  child  held  out  his  little  hands  invit- 
ingly to  Seth,  and  the  latter  stepped  forward 
as  if  to  enter  the  garden,  but  down  fell  the 
flaming  sword  to  bar  the  way. 

The  cherubim  told  Seth  that  some  day 
the  little  child  he  had  seen  would  come  to 
save  the  world  from  the  consequences  of 
Adam's  sin. 

The  angel  then  gave  Seth  three  seeds 
from  the  Tree  of  Life,  saying,  "  When  the 
time  comes  for  your  father  to  die,  put  these 
seeds  under  his  tongue,  and  bury  them  with 
him." 

Seth  returned  to  his  father,  and,  when 
Adam  died  a  short  time  later,  carried  out 
the  cherubim's  instructions. 

From  these  three  seeds  there  sprang  up 
three  slender  stems,  —  a  cypress,  a  cedar,  and 
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Elizabeths  Charm-String 

a  palm.  As  they  grew  taller  their  branches 
intertwined,  and  in  time  formed  but  one 
trunk,  growing  into  a  tall,  stately  tree  with 
wide-spreading  branches. 

The  legends  associate  this  tree  with  many 
events  in  the  history  of  the  Jews. 

The  rods  of  Moses  and  Aaron  were  made 
from  it ;  Abraham  rested  under  its  branches ; 
it  was  the  bark  from  this  tree  that  Moses, 
under  God's  directions,  cast  into  the  bitter 
waters  of  Marah,  making  them  sweet  and  fit 
to  drink. 

When  for  their  sins  God  punished  the 
Israelites  by  sending  a  plague  of  serpents 
upon  them,  it  was  on  a  pole  cut  from  this 
tree  that  Moses  raised  the  brazen  serpent 
at  which  the  Israelites  looked  and  were 
cured. 

One  day  King  David  passed  under  this 
tree,  and  admired  it  so  much  that  he  had  it 
transplanted  to  the  gardens  of  his  palace  at 
Jerusalem. 

Here  the  tree  flourished  until  King  David 
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Elizabeths  Charm-String 

died,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  the  wise 
King  Solomon. 

When  Solomon  began  to  build  the  famous 
temple  which  we  know  as  Solomon's  Tem- 
ple, he  told  his  architect  —  whose  name  was 
Hiram  —  to  cut  down  the  tree  and  use  it  for 
the  new  building. 

It  was  such  a  grand  piece  of  wood  that 
Hiram  thought  it  would  prove  of  great  ser- 
vice to  him,  but  although  he  used  his  utmost 
skill,  the  tree  was  always  either  too  long  or 
too  short  for  his  purpose,  and  he  cast  it 
aside  as  useless. 

Here  it  lay  unnoticed  for  some  time,  and 
probably  afforded  a  convenient  resting-place 
for  the  workmen  and  passers-by. 

Then  we  hear  that  a  Jewish  Prophetess, 
called  Sybilla,  sat  down  to  rest  on  this  tree. 
All  at  once  her  clothes  caught  fire;  in  her 
terror  she  began  to  prophesy,  and  declared 
that  the  tree  possessed  some  evil  power 
which  would  certainly  prove  a  curse  to  the 
Jewish  nation. 

9  129 


Elizabeth's  Charm-String 

After  that,  the  tree  was  used  as  a  bridge 
across  a  marsh,  near  the  brook  Cedron. 

When  the  Queen  of  Sheba  came  to  visit 
Solomon,  in  order  to  judge  for  herself  con- 
cerning his  wisdom  and  power,  she  was 
obliged  to  cross  this  bridge. 

As  she  placed  her  foot  upon  it,  she  had 
a  vision  of  a  man  hanging  on  a  cross  made 
from  this  tree.  Rather  than  pass  over  such 
an  ill-omened  bridge,  she  waded  through  the 
marsh  barefooted. 

The  Queen  of  Sheba  noticed  that  it  was 
an  unusually  fine  piece  of  wood,  and  not 
knowing  that  it  had  already  been  rejected  by 
Hiram,  she  ordered  her  servants  to  carry  it 
to 'the  King's  palace.  She  there  presented 
it  to  Solomon,  related  her  vision,  and  de- 
clared that  some  day  a  man  would  be  cruci- 
fied on  that  tree,  whose  death  would  mean 
the  destruction  of  the  Jews.  Because  of 
this  prophecy,  King  Solomon  had  the  tree 
buried  deep  in  the  ground. 

Another  legend  states  that  Solomon  had 
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Elizabeths  Charm-String 

the  log  completely  covered  with  plates  of 
gold,  and  placed  it  over  a  door  of  the  Tem- 
ple, where  —  so  he  thought  —  it  could  make 
no  more  trouble  for  the  Jews.  There  it  re- 
mained safe  and  harmless  until  Abijah,  the 
grandson  of  Solomon,  came  to  the  throne. 

Abijah  had  it  taken  down  secretly ;  he 
stripped  off  its  golden  coverings,  and  to  hide 
the  evidence  of  this  crime,  the  tree  was 
buried. 

Some  time  later  the  priests  needed  a  con- 
venient place  for  cleansing  the  animals 
which  were  to  be  sacrificed  in  the  Temple. 

For  this  purpose  the  Jews  dug  a  very  wide 
and  deep  well  directly  over  the  hiding-place 
of  the  tree,  but  although  the  tree  was  dis- 
covered, it  was  left  undisturbed. 

This  well,  or  "  Piscina,"  as  it  was  called  by 
the  Jews,  was  the  one  we  now  know  as  the 
Pool  of  Bethesda,  and,  according  to  the 
legends,  its  waters  received  from  the  tree 
the  power  to  cure  all  manner  of  disease. 

In  the  time  of  Christ  there  were  five 
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Elizabeths  Charm-String 

porches  around  the  Pool  of  Bethesda ;  every 
day  they  were  occupied  by  sick  and  deformed 
people. 

At  a  certain  hour  each  day  an  angel  came 
down  from  heaven  and  stirred  up  the  waters, 
and  the  first  person  who  bathed  in  the  pool 
after  the  angelic  visitation  was  entirely  cured 
of  his  illness. 

The  tree  remained  hidden  until  a  few  days 
before  the  crucifixion ;  then  it  rose  to  the  sur- 
face of  the  Pool  of  Bethesda,  was  drawn  out, 
and  thrown  carelessly  on  the  bank. 

Here  it  was  found  by  the  men  who  had 
been  ordered  to  prepare  for  the  execution 
of  Christ. 

An  old  book,  relating  the  adventures  of  a 
knight  in  the  Holy  Land,  gives  a  very  quaint 
description  of  how  the  cross  was  constructed 
from  the  three  kinds  of  wood  united  in  the 
one  tree. 

The  Jews  thought  that  the  body  of  Christ 
would  be  left  hanging  on  the  cross  as  long 
as  the  wood  endured. 
132 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

Accordingly,  the  portion  of  the  cross  in- 
tended to  go  underground  was  made  from 
the  cedar,  because  that  wood  never  rots  in 
earth  or  water. 

For  the  upright  bar  the  cypress  was 
used,  because  it  is  a  sweet-smelling  wood, 
and  could  overcome  any  unpleasant  odor 
that  might  arise  from  the  decay  of  the 
body. 

The  cross-bar  to  which  the  hands  were 
nailed  was  made  of  the  palm  wood,  because 
the  palm  was  used  as  an  emblem  of  victory, 
and  the  Jews  believed  themselves  victorious 
over  Christ. 

For  the  mock  title  "  Jesus  of  Nazareth, 
King  of  the  Jews,"  olive  wood  was  chosen, 
because  an  olive  branch  typifies  peace,  and 
the  Jews  thought  their  nation  would  have 
peace  when  Christ  was  dead. 

The  legends  state  that  the  cross  was  raised 
on  the  very  spot  of  ground  where  the  three 
seeds  had  been  planted,  and  that  the  execu- 
tioners, in  digging  the  hole  for  it,  found 
133 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

Adam's  skull  and  placed  it  at  the  foot  of 
the  cross. 

Some  drops  of  Christ's  blood  fell  on  the 
skull,  thus  fulfilling  the  cherubim's  prophecy 
that  after  five  thousand  and  five  hundred 
years,  the  Oil  of  Mercy  would  fall  on  Adam's 
head. 

Christ,  as  you  know,  was  crucified  between 
two  thieves.  The  three  crosses  were  buried 
on  Golgotha,  and  nothing  was  heard  of  them 
for  more  than  three  hundred  years.  Nearly 
a  hundred  years  after  the  crucifixion  of 
Christ,  the  Emperor  Hadrian  built  a  temple 
to  Venus  over  the  place  where  the  crosses 
had  been  buried. 

About  the  year  312  A.D.  the  Emperor 
Constantine  was  on  his  way  to  fight  with 
the  Emperor  Maxentius.  Suddenly,  he  and 
his  whole  army  saw  a  cross  in  the  sky,  and 
above  it  the  words,  "  In  hoc  signo  vinces," 
—  meaning,  "By  this  sign  conquer." 

At  that  time  Constantine  was  not  a  Chris- 
tian, consequently  a  cross  meant  nothing  to 
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ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

him,  but  he  was  so  impressed  by  his  vision 
that  he  had  a  banner  made  exactly  like  it. 

Constantine's  cross  was  shaped  from  two 
Greek  letters,  X  and  P,  which  have  the  same 
meaning  as  our  Ch  and  R,  the  initial  letters 
of  the  word  "  Christus." 

This  cross  was  set  upon  a  long  spear 
crossed  by  another  piece  of  wood,  and  from 
this  hung  a  square  banner  made  of  purple 
silk,  on  which  was  a  likeness  of  the  Em- 
peror. He  called  this  banner  "  Labarum," 
and,  carrying  it  at  the  head  of  his  army,  won 
a  glorious  victory  over  Maxentius. 

Soon  after  this  battle,  Constantine  fell  ill 
of  leprosy.  His  pagan  priests  and  physi- 
cians told  him  that  he  could  not  hope  to  be 
cured  unless  he  bathed  in  the  blood  of 
children,  and  three  thousand  little  ones  were 
selected  for  this  purpose. 

Constantine,   however,   was    neither  cruel 
nor    hard-hearted,   and    he   was   moved    to 
pity  when  he  saw  the  tears  of  the  sorrowing 
mothers,  and  heard  their  prayers  for  mercy. 
135 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 


He  told  his  physicians  that  he  would  far 
rather  die  himself  than  be  saved  by  the 
blood  of  all  these  innocent  children. 

That  same  night 
Constantine  had  a  very 
strange  dream.  He 
thought  that  two  noble- 
looking  old  men  came 
to  his  bedside  and  told 
him  they  had  been  sent 
by  their  Master  to  bring 
good  counsel.  They 
told  the  Emperor  to 
find  Sylvester,  the  new 
Bishop  of  Rome,  who 
was  hiding  from  per- 
secution in  a  cave  on 
Mount  Calvo.  Syl- 
vester would  then  show  him  a  place  in  which 
he  could  bathe  three  times  and  be  cured  of 
his  leprosy. 

When    Constantine    awoke,    he   sent   his 
soldiers  to  find    this  Sylvester.     After  con- 
136 


Elizabeth's  Charm-String 

siderable  search  he  was  found  and  brought 
before  the  Emperor. 

Sylvester  naturally  supposed  that  he  was 
going  to  be  tortured  because  he  was  a 
Christian,  but  he  showed  no  fear. 

Constantine  related  his  dream,  and  at 
once  Sylvester  declared  that  the  visitors 
must  have  been  Saint  Peter  and  Saint  Paul, 
and  when  he  showed  the  effigies  of  these 
two  saints,  the  Emperor  recognized  them  at 
once  as  the  men  of  his  dream. 

Sylvester  explained  who  was  meant  by 
the  "  Master,"  converted  Constantine  to 
Christianity,  and  baptized  him ;  and  when 
Constantine  came  out  of  the  baptismal  font 
he  found  himself  perfectly  well ;  all  the  signs 
of  leprosy  had  disappeared. 

The  Empress  Helena,  mother  of  Constan- 
tine, had  been  converted  to  Judaism.  She 
was  greatly  displeased  with  her  son  for  be- 
coming a  Christian,  and  used  all  her  influence 
to  make  him  follow  her  example. 

At  length  it  was  agreed  that  Helena 
137 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

should  bring  the  most  learned  among  the 
Jewish  Rabbis  to  Rome,  there  to  meet  Syl- 
vester, discuss  the  merits  of  the  two  relig- 
ions, and  prove  to  Helena  which  faith  was 
the  true  one. 

It  is  said  that  one  hundred  and  forty-two 
Rabbis  presented  their  arguments  in  favor 
of  Judaism,  and  one  after  the  other  were 
silenced  by  Sylvester's  arguments  from  the 
Holy  Scriptures. 

Then  one  of  the  Rabbis,  who  was  also  a 
magician,  defied  Sylvester  to  a  trial  of  the 
power  of  their  respective  gods. 

A  bull  so  fierce  that  it  took  one  hundred 
men  to  restrain  him  was  brought  before  the 
assembly;  into  its  ear  the  magician  uttered 
a  name  for  the  Jewish  god,  so  awful  and  so 
powerful,  that  at  the  mere  whisper  of  it  the 
bull  fell  dead  at  the  Rabbi's  feet. 

The  Christian  cause  seemed  lost;  even 
Constantine  was  filled  with  doubt  and  con- 
sternation. 

But  Sylvester  calmly  arose,  and  said  that 
138 


RlizabetKs  Charm-String 

a  name  which  would  cause  death  must  be 
an  evil  one ;  the  Christian's  God  did  not  kill, 
but  brought  life  to  the  dead. 

He  then  asked  the  Rabbi  to  revive  the 
bull,  but  this  the  Jew  could  not  do. 

Sylvester  made  the  sign  of  the  cross,  and 
in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  commanded 
the  bull  to  rise  and  go  in  peace.  The 
bull  arose,  quiet,  perfectly  gentle,  and  ready 
to  submit  to  a  yoke. 

This  proof  of  Christ's  power  convinced 
Helena,  and  soon  afterward  she  too  was 
baptized. 

Helena  was  quite  an  old  woman,  but  she 
was  so  full  of  zeal  for  her  new  God  that  she 
went  to  Jerusalem,  and  collected  many  pre- 
cious mementos  of  Christ's  earthly  career; 
but  her  dearest  wish  was  to  find  the  true 
cross. 

Its    hiding-place   was   known    to  a   small 

number  of  Jews,  but  so  great  was  the  fear 

of  the  ancient  prophecy  which  said  that  the 

cross  would  destroy  the  Jewish  nation,  that 

139 


ElizabetJis  Charm-String 

these  men  had  sworn  not  to  reveal  the 
secret. 

The  Empress,  not  being  able  to  find  the 
cross  by  peaceful  means,  began  to  torture 
the  Jews,  and  at  last  a  man  named  Judas 
agreed  to  show  her  the  hiding-place  of  the 
cross,  and  led  her  to  Golgotha. 

After  a  prolonged  search  the  three  crosses 
were  found,  but  of  course  Helena  did  not 
know  which  one  of  them  was  the  cross  of 
Christ. 

Just  then  a  funeral  train  passed  along  the 
road. 

Helena  asked  permission  to  test  the  three 
crosses,  and  laid  each  one  in  turn  against 
the  dead  body.  At  the  touch  of  the  third 
cross  the  woman  sat  up  alive  and  well,  and 
then  Helena  knew  that  she  had  at  last 
found  the  cross  on  which  the  Saviour  was 
crucified. 

Then  falling  on  her  knees,  she  prayed 
fervently  for  the  recovery  of  the  nails,  and 
a  little  while  later  all  three  of  them  appeared 
140 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

on  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  near  them 
lay  the  "  Threefold  Title  of  Accusation," 

Some  legends  state  that  the  Empress  placed 
one  of  the  nails  in  Constantine's  helmet,  a 
second  in  his  horse's  bit,  and  threw  the 
third  into  the  Adriatic  Sea,  where  it  stilled 
a  very  dangerous  whirlpool. 

Nowadays  one  of  these  nails  is  claimed 
by  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Cross  at  Rome ; 
another  —  presumably  the  one  that  was 
placed  in  the  horse's  bit — is  supposed  to 
rest  in  the  Cathedral  of  Milan ;  and  the 
third  one  forms  part  of  the  "  Iron  Crown 
of  Lombardy." 

This  crown  is  not  made  of  iron,  as  its 
name  suggests,  but  is  a  broad  fillet  of  gold, 
set  with  precious  stones,  and  running  around 
inside  of  it  is  a  narrow  band  of  iron,  said  to 
have  been  hammered  out  from  a  nail  of  the 
true  cross. 

Some  thirty-four  kings  and  emperors  have 
been  crowned  with  it,  among  them  Charle- 
magne and  Napoleon  Bonaparte. 
141 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

Up  to  the  year  1859,  the  Iron  Crown  of 
Lombardy  was  kept  in  the  Chapel  of  the 
Holy  Nail,  in  Saint  John's  Cathedral  at 
Monza,  Italy ;  now  I  think  it  can  be  seen 
in  the  Belvedere  Museum  at  Vienna,  the 
one  now  at  Monza  being  only  a  copy. 

Some  legends  say  that  Christ  was  fastened 
to  the  cross  with  four  nails,  and  that  four 
were  found  by  the  Empress  Helena. 

This  version  was  probably  accepted  by 
many  people,  and  if  I  am  not  mistaken,  the 
possession  of  this  fourth  nail  is  claimed  by 
the  city  of  Treves  in  Rhenish  Prussia. 

The  true  cross  was  divided  into  sev- 
eral pieces,  the  largest  one  being  left  in 
Jerusalem. 

It  is  supposed  that  the  Empress  Helena 
gave  a  second  piece  to  her  son  Constantine, 
who  enclosed  it  in  the  head  of  a  statue  of 
himself,  and  for  a  long  time  this  statue  was 
regarded  as  the  "  Palladium  "  —  or  guardian 
—  of  the  city. 

Helena  carried  the  third  portion  to  Rome, 
142 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

where  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Cross  was 
built  expressly  for  it.  The  "  Title  of  Accu- 
sation," enclosed  in  a  leaden  case,  was  placed 
in  the  same  church,  also  the  true  nail,  and 
there  they  have  remained  to  this  day. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  there  is,  of  course,  no 
positive  proof  that  the  crosses,  nails,  and  title 
found  on  Golgotha  were  actually  the  ones 
used  at  the  crucifixion  of  our  Lord. 

However  that  may  be,  there  is  little  rea- 
son to  doubt  that  the  relics  now  shown  at 
Rome  are  indeed  the  ones  sent  there  nearly 
sixteen  hundred  years  ago  by  the  Empress 
Helena. 

"  What  became  of  the  large  piece,  Aunt 
Belle,  the  one  that  was  left  at  Jerusalem  ?  " 
asked  Elizabeth. 

It  was  enclosed  in  a  shrine  and  deposited 
in  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  under 
the  special  charge  of  a  Bishop  named  Ma- 
carius. 

143 


Elisabeth's  Charm-String 

This  piece  of  the  cross  met  with  a  great 
many  strange  adventures,  but  I  can  tell  you 
only  a  few  of  them. 

Some  six  hundred  years  after  Christ,  the 
Persian  King  Chosroes  II  captured  Jerusa- 
lem and  carried  the  cross  to  his  own  country. 

It  remained  in  his  possession  until  the 
year  629  A.D.,  when  it  was  recaptured  by  the 
Roman  Emperor  Heraclius  and  brought  back 
in  triumph  to  Jerusalem. 

Heraclius  was  riding  proudly  at  the  head 
of  his  army,  and  just  as  he  was  about  to  enter 
the  city,  the  gates  suddenly  closed. 

An  angel  appeared  to  the  Emperor  and 
reminded  him  that  Christ,  the  King  of 
heaven,  had  entered  these  very  gates  bare- 
footed and  riding  on  an  ass. 

Heraclius  felt  the  justice  of  this  rebuke. 
He  got  down  from  his  horse,  took  off  his 
crown,  cast  aside  his  splendid  armor,  and 
lifted  the  cross  to  his  own  shoulders. 

The  gates  at  once  opened  of  their  own  ac- 
cord, and,  walking  barefooted,  the  Emperor 
144 


Rlizabetfis  Charm-String 

Heraclius  entered  Jerusalem,  and  carried  the 
cross  back  to  its  place  in  the  Church  of  the 
Holy  Sepulchre. 

According  to  some  authorities,  when  the 
Mohammedans  conquered  Palestine  in  the 
year  637  A.D.  the  cross  was  taken  to  Con- 
stantinople for  safe  keeping,  and  placed  in 
the  Church  of  Saint  Sophia.  Others  say 
that  the  Mohammedans  did  not  molest  the 
Christians  or  the  cross,  and  that  it  remained 
in  Jerusalem  for  nearly  four  hundred  years 
longer. 

A  tiny  chip  from  the  cross  was  the  reward 
paid  to  the  pilgrims  who  made  the  long,  hard 
journey  to  Jerusalem  just  to  gaze  on  this 
holy  relic ;  but  although  thousands  of  these 
pieces  were  cut  off,  the  legends  say  that  the 
cross  never  grew  smaller,  but  was  always 
miraculously  renewed. 

It  was  this  portion  of  the  cross  that  was 
carried  by  the  Crusaders  at  the  head  of  their 
armies,  to  strengthen  their  arms  and  increase 
their  zeal  in  the  Christian  cause. 
145 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 


When  Saladin,  the  Sultan  of  Egypt,  de- 
feated the  Crusaders  at  the  battle  of  Hattin, 


he  cut  off  a 
relic  as  a  token 
The  remaining 
to  have  fallen 
of  a  King  of 
carried  it  to 
Some  time 
gained  by  Jean 


piece  of  the 
of  his  triumph, 
fragment  seems 
into  the  hands 
Hungary,  who 
Poland. 

later  it  was  re- 
de Brienne, 


King  of  Jerusalem,  and 
his  son-in-law  Baldwin, 
the  Emperor  of  Constan- 
tinople. Apparently 
these  two  sovereigns 
146 


RlizabetKs  Charm-String 

were  sorely  in  need  of  ready  money,  for  they 
sold  the  relic  to  Louis  IX,  King  of  France, 
for  a  sum  equal  to  six  hundred  thousand 
dollars  of  our  money. 

About  the  middle  of  the  thirteenth  cen- 
tury this  King  —  known  as  Saint  Louis - 
carried  the  fragment  of  the  cross,  together 
with  a  piece  of  the  crown  of  thorns  and 
other  blessed  relics,  to  Paris,  and  built  the 
beautiful  little  Gothic  church  called  the 
"  Saint  Chapelle  "  for  their  reception. 

Here  the  cross  rested,  so  the  story  goes, 
until  some  time  in  the  seventeenth  century, 
when  it  mysteriously  disappeared,  and  has 
never  been  heard  of  since. 


147 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE  LEGEND  OF  THE  WOODPECKER —THE 
OBELISK  OF  THE  VATICAN 

MARIE     GARDINER   had    the 
charm-string   in  her   hand,  and 
was  trying  to  decide  which  little 
trinket  should  be  the  next  to  entertain  them. 
Just  then  a  bird's  call  was  heard  outside  the 
window,  a  shrill  "  Plu-eee,  plu-eee,"  and  at 
the  sound  Marie  commenced  to  laugh. 

"  Plu-eee,  plu-eee,"  she  echoed.  "  Oh, 
Miss  Belle,  that  bird  is  a  woodpecker,  crying 
for  rain,  and  I  was  just  going  to  ask  why 
you  bought  a  woodpecker  for  Elizabeth's 
charm-string." 

"  The  little  charm  came  from  Norway," 
replied  Miss  Belle,  "  and  when  I  heard  its 
legend  I  was  reminded  of  a  Grimm  fairy- 
story." 

148 


Elizabeth's   Charm-String 

LEGEND  OF  THE  WOODPECKER 

One  day  our  Saviour  and  Saint  Peter 
were  walking  through  a  part  of  the  country 
they  were  not  familiar  with,  and  lost  their 
way.  Tired  and  hungry,  they  entered  the 
first  house  they  came  to,  and  begged  for 
something  to  eat  and  drink.  The  owner  of 
the  house  told  them  her  name  was  Gertrude. 
She  was  a  small  woman,  very  neat  in  appear- 
ance, and  rapid  in  her  movements.  Her 
dress  was  dark  brown  in  color,  and  on  her 
head  was  a  bright  red  cap.  Gertrude  had 
been  baking  bread  on  a  kind  of  griddle 
placed  over  a  wood  fire,  and  several  large 
loaves  lay  on  the  table. 

Saint  Peter  asked  her  to  give  some  of  this 
bread  to  his  Master,  but  she  refused,  saying, 
"  My  loaves  are  too  large  to  give  away ;  I 
cannot  spare  one." 

Then  Christ  himself  asked  her,  in  gentle, 
persuasive  tones,  "  Will  you  not  bake  us  a 
smaller  loaf?  We  have  walked  all  day 
149 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

without  any  food,  and  are  tired  and  very 
hungry." 

Gertrude  hesitated  a  moment,  and  then, 
breaking  off  a  small  piece  of  dough,  began 
to  bake  it.  The  piece  grew  larger  and  larger, 
until  it  entirely  filled  the  griddle. 

When  the  woman  saw  this  strange  thing 
and  noted  the  size  of  the  loaf,  she  looked 
toward  the  strangers.  As  they  did  not  appear 
to  be  watching  her,  she  slyly  placed  the  loaf 
on  the  table. 

She  broke  off  a  second  and  smaller  bit  of 
dough,  and  tossed  it  on  the  griddle.  When 
this  loaf  was  baked  it  was  larger  than  the 
first  one,  and  the  covetous  woman  could  not 
force  herself  to  part  with  it. 

Gertrude  then  took  a  mere  pinch  of  the 
dough  to  bake  for  Christ,  and  this  grew  into 
the  largest  loaf  of  all. 

Christ  then  asked  her  once  more,  "  Will 
you  not  give  us  some  water  to  drink  and  a 
loaf  of  bread  for  our  supper  ?  " 

"  No,  I  will  not,"  Gertrude  answered.  "  All 
150 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 


the  loaves  I  have  baked  are  too  large  and 
too  good  to  give  away  to  beggars.  As  for 
water,  I  have  no  more  than  I  want  for  my- 
self. Go  beg  elsewhere." 

At  this  fresh  proof  of  the  woman's  mean- 
ness Christ  became  indig- 
nant, and  said  sternly 

"Gertrude,      you 
are   a  cruel,  miserly 
woman,  and  to  pun- 
ish you  for  refusing 
bread  to  the  poor  I 
will  turn  you  into  a 
bird.     You  shall  have 
no  food  except  what 
you  can  find  between  the 
bark    of    a    tree    and     its 
trunk ;   you  shall  have    no 
water  to  drink  except  the  raindrops  you  can 
catch  as  they  fall." 

At  these  words  the  woman  turned  into 
a  little  woodpecker.  The  bird  darted  up 
the  chimney,  and  its  brown  feathers  were 


RlizabetKs  Charm-String 

streaked  with  the  soot,  but  the  little  red  tuft 
on  its  head  was  not  soiled. 

In  Norway  the  little  woodpecker  is  often 
called  the  "  Gertrude,"  or,  as  the  Norwegians 
pronounce  the  name,  the  "  Ortrud  bird."  So 
now  you  know  the  reason  why  you  never  hear 
the  woodpecker's  "  Plu-eee,  plu-eee  "  except 
when  it  rains  or  a  storm  is  approaching ;  and 
why,  when  the  rain  is  falling,  the  woodpecker 
never  stays  snug  and  warm  in  its  nest,  but 
flies  upward,  with  its  long  beak  wide  open. 

"Only  one  more  story  this  morning," 
spoke  up  Mrs.  Curtis,  "and  I  ask  for  that. 
Belle,  here  is  a  little  charm  which  reminds 
me  of  the  Egyptian  obelisk  called  '  Cleo- 
patra's Needle,'  in  the  New  York  Central 
Park,  except  that  this  tiny  shaft  has  a  cross 
on  the  top  of  it." 

THE  OBELISK  OF  THE  VATICAN 

The  one  you  hold  is  the  Obelisk  of  the 
Vatican ;  it  stands  in  the  centre  of  the  Piazza 
152 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

of  Saint  Peter,  and,  like  Cleopatra's  Needle, 
it  came  from  Heliopolis. 

This  one  was  brought  to  Rome  by  the 
Emperor  Caligula,  who  began  to  reign  in 
the  thirty-seventh  year  after  Christ.  It  was 
used  to  adorn  the  Circus  of  Nero,  and  was 
then,  and  is  still  considered  one  of  the  noblest 
monuments  in  Rome. 

On  the  shaft  of  this  obelisk  is  an  inscrip- 
tion to  the  Emperors  Augustus  and  Tiberius. 
On  the  base  is  an  inscription  dedicating  it 
to  the  cross. 

The  ground,  now  covered  by  the  Church  of 
Saint  Peter  and  the  superbly  beautiful  square 
that  leads  up  to  it,  was  once  part  of  Nero's 
Circus,  and  it  may  truly  be  called  "  holy 
ground,"  since  it  was  consecrated  by  the 
blood  of  so  many  martyrs,  and  reverenced  as 
the  place  where  Saint  Peter  was  buried. 

This  obelisk  was  moved  to  its  present  site 
in  the  year  1586  A.D.,  in  the  reign  of  Pope 
Sixtus  V,  and  our  story  will  tell  you  how 
this  removal  was  effected. 
153 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

The  man  who  accepted  the  responsibility 
of  this  stupendous  task  was  named  Domenico 
Fontana,  and  to  accomplish  it  he  needed  the 
assistance  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  eight 
hundred  horses,  and  forty-six  huge  cranes. 

When  Fontana  had  finished  all  his  prep- 
arations, the  time  for  the  removal  of  the 
obelisk  was  announced.  The  day  was  to 
be  a  general  holiday  and  festival,  and  at  the 
appointed  hour  the  Church  and  Piazza  of 
Saint  Peter  was  thronged  with  interested 
spectators. 

The  obelisk  had  always  been  regarded  as 
a  pagan  object ;  now  it  was  to  be  dedicated 
to  the  cause  of  Christ,  and  a  special  dedica- 
tory service  was  arranged  in  order  to  exorcise 
the  pagan  element.  This  service  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  solemn  High  Mass  in  Saint 
Peter's  Church,  and  the  Pope  invoked  the 
blessing  of  heaven  upon  the  efforts  of  Fon- 
tana and  his  workmen. 

Then  the  trumpets  of  the  Papal  Guard 
were  sounded,  and  a  proclamation  was  issued, 
iS4 


Elizabeth's  Charm-String 


insisting  that  absolute  silence  must  be  main- 
tained   while    the    work    was    in    progress. 


Death  would 
by  any  one  who 
t  i  on  of  the 
Everything 
favorably,  and 
slowly  rising 
but  before  very 
evident  that 
something  was 


be  the  penalty  paid 
distracted  the  atten- 
workmen. 

seemed  to  be  going 
the  huge  shaft  was 
toward  its  new  base ; 
long  it  became 


wrong,  for  the  obelisk  ceased  to  move  and 
the  ropes  slackened  perceptibly. 

Had  there  been  a  mistake  in  Fontana's 
calculations  ?  Would  the  obelisk  fall  ? 

The  suspense  was  so  terrible,  the  silence 
155 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

so  intense,  it  seemed  as  though  that  vast 
multitude  of  people  had  ceased  even  to 
breathe. 

Suddenly  across  the  piazza  a  voice  rang 
out,  clear  and  strong : 

"  Wet  the  ropes !     Wet  the  ropes !  " 

The  frightened  workmen  acted  on  this 
unexpected  advice  so  quickly  and  thoroughly 
that  the  ropes  soon  stiffened  and  tightened ; 
the  danger  was  averted,  the  obelisk  moved 
slowly  but  steadily,  and  at  last  was  firmly 
settled  on  its  base. 

The  man  whose  opportune  advice  had 
proved  so  serviceable  was  a  poor  sailor  who 
had  just  returned  from  a  long  voyage. 

His  name  was  Brescia,  and  his  home  was 
at  Bordighiera,  a  beautiful  town  in  Italy  on 
the  Mediterranean  Sea. 

Although  his  impulsively  spoken  words 
had  saved  the  obelisk,  Brescia  was  afraid  of 
losing  his  own  life  because  he  had  disobeyed 
the  Pope's  command. 

He  tried  to  escape,  but  was  captured  by 
156 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

the  Papal  Guards   and   taken  into  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Holy  Father. 

Instead  of  an  angry  Pope,  Brescia  found  a 
very  grateful  one,  who  bade  the  sailor  name 
his  own  reward  for  the  great  service  he  had 
rendered  to  Rome  by  his  sensible  advice. 

Brescia  would  not  accept  either  gold  or 
jewels,  but  requested  that  his  native  city 
should  forever  after  possess  the  privilege  of 
supplying  the  Vatican  and  Saint  Peter's 
Church  with  the  palm  branches  to  be  used 
on  Palm  Sunday.  I  need  not  say  that  this 
modest  request  was  quickly  granted. 

Bordighiera  has  always  been  noted  for  the 
beauty  of  its  palms,  and  every  year,  to  this 
day,  a  vessel  loaded  with  the  finest  branches 
is  sent  to  Rome  about  a  week  before  Palm 
Sunday. 

These  are  all  prepared  and  plaited  by 
the  nuns  in  the  convent  of  Saint  Antony, 
and,  after  being  blessed  by  the  Pope,  are  dis- 
tributed to  the  Faithful  at  the  Palm  Sunday 
ceremonies  in  Saint  Peter's  Church. 
157 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE  LEGEND  OF  SAINT  GENEVIEVE 

OH,   dear ! "  sighed   Alma,  as   the 
children  sat  chatting  in  the  hall 
on  the  following  morning,  "this 
is   our  last  day,  and  it   seems  to  me  there 
are  charms  enough  to  last  a  month.     Have 
they  all  got  stories,  Miss  Belle  ?  " 

"  Each  one  has  some  direct  connection, 
either  historic  or  romantic,  with  the  place 
where  it  was  bought,  but  if  I  should  tell  you 
too  many  stories  at  one  time,  your  poor  little 
heads  would  not  be  able  to  hold  them  all. 
You  would  get  them  so  mixed  up  that  you 
would  have  the  Bambino  saving  the  people 
of  Venice,  while  the  '  Winged  Lion  of  Saint 
Mark '  flapped  and  roared  in  Rome.  Some 
other  time  perhaps  I  will  tell  you  many  more 
stories. 

158 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

"  Now,  has  any  one  chosen  a  charm  for 
the  first  story  this  morning  ? " 

"  Miss  Belle,"  answered  Genevieve,  "  here 
is  a  little  silver  charm  with  my  name  and 
a  French  motto  on  it ;  it  looks  just  like 
the  medals  worn  by  the  girls  at  school  who 
are  Roman  Catholics." 

"  That  is  just  what  it  is,  my  dear,  and 
probably  every  little  girl  in  Paris  wears  or 
owns  a  similar  one. 

"  On  one  side  is  stamped  the  figure  of  a 
peasant,  a  shepherd  girl,  holding  a  distaff  in 
her  hand,  and  the  words  surrounding  her 
mean  '  Saint  Genevieve,  Guardian  of  Paris, 
pray  for  us.' 

"  On  the  other  side  is  a  picture  of  the  Vir- 
gin Mary  and  the  little  prayer,  '  O  Marie, 
conceived  without  sin,  pray  for  us.' 

"  As  you  may  readily  guess,  Saint  Gene- 
vieve is  the  patron  or  guardian  saint  of  Paris 
and  the  Parisians. 

"  One  day  while  I  was  in  Paris  I  went  to 
the  old  Church  of  Saint  Etienne  du  Mont, 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 


where,  in  a  chapel  devoted  to  Saint  Gene- 
vieve,  is  a  tomb  of  solid  stone  work,  said  to 
be  the  very  one  in  which  the  saint  was  origi- 
nally buried. 

"  There  were 
so  many  people 
kneelingaround 
-is  the  tomb  that  I 
imagine  some 
special  service 
was  being  held, 
and  I  wish  I 
could  paint  the 
picture  present- 
ed by  that  scene. 
"The  chapel 
itself  was  dark 
and  gloomy, 
lighted  only  by  flickering  candles.  Beside 
the  tomb  stood  a  priest,  wearing  a  scarlet 
cassock  and  white  lace  surplice,  and  near  by 
was  a  table  where  an  old  woman  was  selling 
candles,  tapers,  and  medals. 

160 


RlizabetJts  Charm-String 

"  Each  person  on  entering  the  chapel 
bought  a  little  candle  and  gave  it  to  the 
priest,  who  sprinkled  it  with  holy  water; 
then  it  was  fastened  to  an  iron  standard, 
and  the  purchaser  prayed  as  long  as  this 
taper  burned. 

"  Remembering  that  my  sister's  name  was 
also  Genevieve,  I  bought  a  little  medal,  had 
it  blessed,  and  brought  it  to  Elizabeth  as  a 
souvenir  '  button.' 

"  It  did  not  take  long  to  learn  something  of 
Saint  Genevieve's  history,  for  her  name  is 
a  household  word  in  Paris,  although  she 
is  not  widely  known  outside  of  that  city." 

LEGEND  OF  SAINT  GENEVIEVE 

She  was  a  peasant  girl,  born  in  the  town 
of  Nanterre,  not  very  far  from  Paris,  in  the 
year  422  A.D.  Her  parents  were  very  poor, 
and  she  used  to  earn  a  little  money  for  them 
by  looking  after  the  sheep  and  the  geese  of 
their  neighbors.  She  studied  all  the  herbs 
she  found  in  the  fields,  and  became  so  skilful 
»  161 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

in  their  use  that  her  help  and  advice  were  often 
asked  by  the  peasants  when  they  were  ill. 

Saint  Genevieve  was  always  a  very  relig- 
ious little  child,  and  was  only  seven  years 
old  when  Saint  Germaine,  the  Bishop  of 
Auxerre,  passed  through  Nanterre,  and  was 
impressed  by  her  sweetness  and  piety. 

It  is  said  that  he  foresaw  as  in  a  vision 
the  future  greatness  of  the  little  girl,  and 
then  and  there  dedicated  her  to  the  ser- 
vice of  Christ,  placing  around  her  neck  a 
copper  coin,  engraved  with  the  sign  of  the 
cross. 

Saint  Genevieve  seems  to  have  possessed 
miraculous  powers,  even  at  that  early  age, 
and  one  story  relates  that  her  mother  in  a 
fit  of  rage  boxed  the  child's  ears  and  was 
punished  by  blindness. 

In  front  of  their  home  was  a  well  of  very 
pure  water.  Genevieve  took  some  of  this 
water,  over  it  made  the  sign  of  the  cross,  and 
then  bathed  her  mother's  eyes  with  it.  Im- 
mediately the  lost  sight  was  restored. 
162 


Elizabeth's  Charm-String 

The  water  from  this  well,  it  naturally  fol- 
lowed, became  very  famous,  and  in  times  of 
famine,  so  the  legend  says,  Saint  Genevieve 
used  to  make  from  it  very  nourishing  soup 
for  the  starving  peasants. 

When  she  grew  older,  she  renewed  her 
vow  of  devoting  herself  to  Christ's  work,  but 
she  remained  with  her  parents  until  they 
died ;  then  she  went  to  Paris. 

Here  Saint  Genevieve  worked  unceasingly 
among  the  poor  and  needy,  and  by  her 
knowledge  of  herbs  and  simples  was  able 
to  cure  many  sick  people  and  relieve  much 
suffering. 

Her  piety  was  so  sincere,  her  charity  and 
benevolence  so  unfailing,  that  ere  long  her 
praise  was  heard  on  all  sides,  and  she  was 
regarded  with  great  love  and  veneration. 

But  she  had  many  enemies  as  well  as 
friends,  for  Christianity  had  not  yet  taken 
firm  hold  among  the  Franks.  Many  people 
believed  her  to  be  a  witch,  and  by  these  she 
was  maltreated  and  slandered;  but  Saint 
163 


Elizabeth's  Charm-String 


Germaine  remained  her  firm  friend  and  kept 
her  under  his  protection. 

Then   an   event  occurred    which  silenced 
her  enemies  and  made  her  an  object  of  popu- 
%  lar  enthusiasm. 

When  Attila, 
the  King  of  the 
Huns,  threatened 
to  invade  Paris, 
the  people  were 
so  frightened  that 
they  wanted  to 
surrender  at  once 
to  this  terrible 
warrior,  or  else 
flee  from  him. 

Saint    Gene- 
vieve  pleaded 
with    them,   beg- 
ging them  not  to  yield  to  this  pagan  King, 
promising  that  God  would  succor  the  Pari- 
sians if  they  would  only  ask  His  protection 
and  pray  for  relief  as  fervently  as  she  prayed 
164 


RlizabetKs  Charm-String 

in  their  behalf.  While  the  people  hesitated, 
word  was  brought  that  for  some  unknown  rea- 
son Attila  had  turned  away  from  Paris,  and 
was  marching  his  barbarians  in  another  direc- 
tion. The  credit  for  the  deliverance  of  Paris 
was  given  to  the  prayers  of  Saint  Genevieve, 
and  from  that  time  on,  her  influence  over  the 
Parisians  was  firmly  established. 

Saint  Genevieve  lived  very  humbly,  wear- 
ing the  dress  of  a  nun.  She  worked  night 
and  day  to  improve  the  condition  of  any  one 
who  was  poor  or  wretched,  and  was  in  reality 
as  well  as  in  name  the  "  Guardian  Angel  of 
Paris." 

About  the  year  456  A.D.  Childeric  came  to 
besiege  Paris,  and  before  long  famine  and 
fever  were  playing  havoc  in  the  city.  Again 
Saint  Genevieve  proved  herself  the  friend  of 
her  people  by  organizing  a  line  of  boats 
to  run  up  and  down  the  Seine,  to  bring 
help  and  provisions  from  Troyes  and  other 
towns. 

When  Paris  was  at  last  captured  by  Chil- 
165 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

deric,  he,  although  a  pagan,  treated  Saint  Gen- 
evieve  with  the  greatest  respect. 

His  son  Clovis  became  King  of  the  Franks, 
and,  together  with  his  wife  Clotilde,  was  con- 
verted to  Christianity  by  Saint  Genevieve, 
and  through  her  influence  the  first  Christian 
church  in  Paris  was  built,  on  the  present 
site  of  Saint  Etienne  du  Mont,  the  church  I 
have  just  told  you  about. 

In  this  church  Clovis  and  Clotilde  were 
buried,  and  when  Saint  Genevieve  died  in 
the  year  5 1 1  A.D.,  at  the  ripe  age  of  eighty- 
nine,  her  body  was  placed  beside  theirs. 

During  the  Norman  invasion  her  remains 
were  taken  to  Draveil  for  safety,  where  one 
of  her  teeth  is  still  preserved.  Again  the 
body  was  moved  and  carried  to  Marizy,  and 
was  finally  brought  back  to  Paris  in  the  year 
855  A.D. 

The  first  church  dedicated  to  Saint  Gene- 
vieve was  built  very  near  Saint  Etienne  du 
Mont,  and  her  remains  were  placed  in  a 
magnificent  gold  shrine.  The  greatest  re- 
166 


KlizabetKs  Charm-String 

spect  and  veneration  were  paid  to  them,  and 
in  time  of  trouble  the  help  of  Saint  Genevieve 
was  always  invoked. 

In  the  year  1129  A.D.  a  terrible  pestilence 
swept  over  Paris;  people  died  by  the  hun- 
dreds. In  hopes  of  stopping  the  ravages  of 
this  disease,  the  body  of  Saint  Genevieve 
was  carried  through  the  city  to  the  Cathedral 
of  Notre  Dame.  Many  of  the  sick  were 
cured  by  touching  it,  and  the  plague  soon 
disappeared  entirely. 

During  the  Middle  Ages,  the  remains 
were  carried  around  Paris  in  procession,  and 
with  many  grand  ceremonies  some  eighty 
times,  in  order  to  ward  off  impending  mis- 
fortunes; and,  according  to  the  various 
legends,  Saint  Genevieve  never  failed  to 
answer  favorably  the  appeals  of  her  beloved 
Parisians.  * 

The  chapel  erected  over  her  tomb  in  855 

A.D.   had   been   replaced    by   a   much    finer 

church,  and  in  the   year    1764  A.D.  on  the 

same   site    Louis  XV   began  to   erect  the 

167 


RlizabetEs  Charm-String 


church  now   called    "  The   Pantheon,"    dedi- 
cating the  building  to  Saint  Genevieve. 

Then  came  the   French   Revolution,  and 
by  a  decree  of  the  National    Assembly  the 

church  was  con- 
verted into  a 
"Temple  of 
Fame,"  to  be 
sacred  to  the 
memory  of  the 
famous  men  of 
France. 

God  and  re- 
ligion were  al- 
most forgotten 
during  that  aw- 
ful Reign  of 
Terror,  and  no 
respect  was  paid 
to  many  objects  previously  held  in  great 
veneration.  The  mob  seized  the  gold  shrine 
of  Saint  Genevieve  and  sent  it  to  the  mint, 
to  be  converted  into  money,  while  her  re- 
168 


Elizabeth's  Charm-String 

mains  were  publicly  burned  in  one  of  the 
city  squares,  called  the  "  Place  de  Greve." 

It  is  claimed,  however,  and  apparently  with 
some  foundation,  that  some  of  the  faithful  and 
devout  people  still  left  in  Paris,  gathered  up 
the  ashes  and  unconsumed  particles  of  bone 
and  carried  them -to  a  safe  hiding-place. 

When  peace  was  restored  to  Paris,  these 
ashes  were  placed,  with  all  due  reverence,  in 
the  Church  of  Saint  Etienne  du  Mont. 

I  was  told  that  even  as  recently  as  the 
Franco-Prussian  War,  when  Paris  was  be- 
sieged by  the  Germans,  and  more  people 
were  killed  by  famine  than  by  bullets,  the 
aid  of  Saint  Genevieve  was  again  implored, 
and  throughout  Paris  was  heard  this  invoca- 
tion :  "  Saint  Genevieve  !  thou  who  by  thy 
prayers  didst  save  Paris  from  the  hordes  of 
Attila,  save  us  now  from  the  hordes  of  his 
descendants." 

By  a  strange  coincidence  news  was  brought 
to  Paris,  on  the  eve  of  Saint  Genevieve,  that 
the  French  army  fiad  won  a  great  battle,  and 
169 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

if  any  man  refused  the  credit  of  this  success 
to  Saint  Genevieve,  he  was  probably  treated 
quite  roughly  by  the  impulsive  Parisians. 

Her  festival  falls  on  the  3d  of  January  and 
continues  a  week.  Pilgrimages  are  made 
to  her  shrine,  and  the  sick  and  sorrowful 
come  to  her  for  relief  and  comfort.  The 
open  space  in  front  of  the  church  looks  very 
gay  and  festive ;  booths  are  erected  for  the 
sale  of  candles,  flowers,  medals,  offerings  of 
all  kinds,  and  these  things  are  freely  bought 
by  visitors,  to  be  placed  on  Saint  Genevieve's 
shrine  or  carried  home  as  mementos. 

Candles  burn  around  the  shrine,  and  the 
priest  stands  there  ready  to  bless  the  offer- 
ings, just  as  he  was  doing  when  I  visited  the 
church.  Indeed,  I  am  sure  that  I  shall  never 
see  Elizabeth's  little  medal  without  a  vision 
of  the  "  Shrine  of  Saint  Genevieve." 

"  And  did  Elizabeth's  charm  actually  touch 
the  relics  of  the  saint  ? "  asked  Genevieve 
Lebeau. 

170 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

"  Yes,  to  the  best  of  my  knowledge  it  did. 
I  first  bought  the  little  medal,  and  the  priest 
sprinkled  it  with  the  holy  water;  then  I 
dropped  a  piece  of  money  in  his  charity 
plate:  he  opened  a  little  slide  in  the  shrine, 
touched  the  medal  to  the  relics,  —  if  such 
they  truly  are,  —  and  blessed  it  with  the 
sign  of  the  cross." 

"  But  you  are  neither  a  French  woman 
nor  a  Roman  Catholic,  Aunt  Belle,  so  per- 
haps the  touch  of  the  relics  cannot  help  you, 
or  me  either  for  that  matter,"  said  Elizabeth. 

"  Perhaps  not,"  replied  her  Aunt,  "  but  the 
blessing  of  a  good  man,  be  his  religion  what 
it  may,  can  never  do  us  any  harm." 


171 


CHAPTER   XVI 

THE   TUN    OF   HEIDELBERG— PERKEO   THE 
DWARF— THE   MOUSE-TOWER 


I 


children  were  evidently  very 
much  impressed  by  the  story  of 
Saint  Genevieve,  and  the  little 
medal's  connection  with  it,  but  they  also 
felt  that  their  time  for  stories  was  growing 
short,  and  before  many  minutes  passed,  Alma 
claimed  attention  to  what  she  called  a  baby 
barrel,  adding  that  under  its  faucet  was  en- 
graved a  queer  little  man. 

"  Indeed,  he  is  funny,"  began  Miss  Belle, 
"and  his  story  is  one  of  the  oddest  to  be 
met  with  along  the  'many-storied  river 
Rhine.' 

"  The  barrel,  as  you  call  it,  is  a  tiny  copy 
of  the  Great  Tun  of  Heidelberg,  a  huge 
reservoir  for  wine." 

172 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 


THE  TUN  OF  HEIDELBERG 

During  the  Middle  Ages  every  peasant  in 
their  domains  had  to  pay  a  heavy  tax  to  the 
Lords  of  Heidelberg ;  if  they  had  no  money, 


,'  \ 


they  were  allowed  to  pay  in  wine,  for  the 
vineyards  were  the  chief  source  of   wealth 
in  that  part  of  the  world. 
-173 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

The  first  tun  was  built  in  the  year  1589 
A.D.  and  held  forty-nine  thousand  gallons  of 
wine,  or  about  five  hundred  of  our  largest 
hogsheads.  The  one  at  present  shown  to 
the  curious  visitors  at  Heidelberg  Castle  was 
built  in  1751  A.D.  It  is  as  high  as  an  ordi- 
nary two-story  house,  and  it  is  encircled  by 
a  flight  of  steps.  At  the  close  of  the  vintage 
season,  when  the  tun  was  entirely  filled,  a 
platform  was  always  erected  across  its  top, 
and  the  peasants  celebrated  the  occasion 
with  a  festive  dance.  This  last  tun  was  in 
use  for  more  than  twenty  years,  and  was 
refilled  a  number  of  times. 

Near  the  tun,  in  the  cellar  of  the  ruined 
castle  of  Heidelberg,  stands  the  wooden 
image  of  a  dwarf ;  he  is  a  jolly-looking  chap 
and  rejoices  in  the  name  of  Perkeo.  He  is 
popularly  supposed  to  be  the  portrait,  so  to 
speak,  of  another  Perkeo,  who  is  credited 
with  the  herculean  task  of  having  swal- 
lowed the  entire  contents  of  that  last  tun 
of  wine. 

174 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

In  days  of  old  at  the  court  of  every  king, 
queen,  and  feudal  lord  there  was  always  one 
man  known  as  the  court  jester,  or  court  fool, 
whose  sole  occupation  in  life  was  to  amuse 
his  superiors. 

No  matter  how  sad  his  own  heart  might 
be,  the  jester  was  expected  to  be  always 
ready  to  afford  entertainment  by  means  of 
his  witty  and  amusing  stories  or  comments. 

Our  friend  Perkeo  was  a  dwarf,  and  he  was 
jester  at  the  court  of  the  Count  of  Heidelberg. 

Now,  although  he  was  a  very  little  man, 
he  was  "  a  mighty  giant  for  wine-bibbing," 
and  every  time  the  Great  Tun  of  Heidelberg 
was  rilled,  his  heart  swelled  with  pride  at 
the  thought  that  all  this  wine  belonged  to 
his  noble  lord  and  master. 

One  day,  when  Perkeo  was  standing  be- 
side the  tun,  gazing  at  its  huge  proportions 
with  respectful  and  admiring  eyes,  he  said  to 
himself:  "  What  a  fine  thing  it  would  be  if  I 
—  Perkeo  the  dwarf  —  could  drink  all  that 
wine  myself." 

175 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

No  sooner  had  this  whim  entered  his 
head  than  he  determined  to  gratify  it. 

You  must  know  that  a  court  jester  was 
usually  a  privileged  person ;  he  could  say 
and  do  things  that  would  have  hanged  any 
other  man,  and  demanded  with  impunity 
favors  which  were  nearly  always  granted. 

Those  were  troublous  times,  and  the  man 
who  could  amuse  the  people  at  court,  and  by 
his  merry  jests  and  pranks  keep  "  care  at 
bay,"  was  considered  worthy  of  all  gratitude. 

So  Perkeo  decided  that  at  the  first  oppor- 
tunity he  would  demand  from  his  master 
the  privilege  of  being  the  only  person  to 
drink  wine  from  the  Great  Tun. 

About  that  time  the  Count  of  Heidelberg 
met  with  a  number  of  misfortunes,  and  in 
consequence  was  always  either  melancholy 
and  worrying  over  his  troubles,  or  so  irrita- 
ble that  no  one  dared  to  approach  him. 

Perkeo  was  far  too  clever  to  ask  favors 
from  a  man  who  was  in  a  bad  humor,  and  he 
patiently  bided  his  time. 
176 


Elizabeth's  Charm-String 


One  night,  when  the  Count  was  feeling 
unusually  sad,  he  sent  for  Perkeo,  in  hopes 
that  the  jester  could  produce  in  him  a  more 
cheerful  frame  of  mind. 

"  Perkeo,"  he  said,  "  if  you  will  only  make 
me  laugh  long  enough  to  enable  me  to  for- 
get my  troubles  for  a  short 
time,  I  will  give  you  any- 
thing you  ask  for." 

Accordingly,  Perkeo 
exerted  himself  to  the  ut- 
most, and  never  had  he 
been  so  witty,  so  clever, 
or  so  amusing;  but  his 
best  efforts  were  all  wasted, 
his  master  never  so  much 
as  smiled. 

Suddenly  a  queer  idea 
occurred  to  the  jester;  he 
doffed  his  cap  and  knelt  humbly  before  the 
Count. 

"  Dear   master,"   he    said,   "  poor   Perkeo 

kneels  to  ask  a  great  favor  from  you.     The 
12  I77 


Rlizabettis  Charm-String 

Great  Tun  of  Heidelberg  has  just  been 
refilled  for  the  last  time;  will  you  not  give 
orders  that  no  one  save  Perkeo  shall  touch 
a  drop  of  that  wine  ?  " 

The  Count  was  so  astonished  by  this  un- 
looked-for request  that  he  could  scarcely 
believe  his  ears. 

He  noted  the  diminutive  .stature  of  the 
dwarf  kneeling  before  him ;  he  thought  of 
the  colossal  proportions  of  the  Great  Tun, 
and  the  contrast  they  offered  was  so  ridicu- 
lous that  the  Count  burst  into  a  very  roar  of 
laughter.  It  seemed  to  him  that  he  had 
never  heard  anything  quite  so  absurd  in  all 
his  life,  and  he  continued  to  laugh  until  he 
was  almost  exhausted. 

The  great  tun  of  wine  now  belonged  to 
Perkeo.  No  price  was  too  great  to  pay  for 
such  a  good  joke ! 

Time   after   time,    day   in    and   day   out, 

Perkeo  went  to  the  tun  for  a  glass  of  wine ; 

and  every  day  his  affection  for  this  enormous 

barrel  grew  stronger,  until  finally  he  refused 

178 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 


to  leave  the  tun  at  all,  and  took  up  his  abode 
in  the  cellar. 

The  legend  says  that  for  fifteen  years 
Perkeo  remained  at  the  side  of  his  tun. 

No  one  but  himself  ever  turned  the  faucet 
or  tasted  the  wine,  and  when  the  Count  of 
Heidelberg  or  his  friends  wanted  to  be 
amused,  they  had  to  go  to  Perkeo. 

One  sad  day,  however,  he  held  up  his 
beaker  and  turned  the  faucet;  not  a  drop 
fell  out.  Perkeo  the  dwarf  had  completely 
emptied  the  Great  Tun  of  Heidelberg. 

No  longer  having  an  excuse  for  remaining 
in  the  cellar,  and  heart-broken  at  the  thought 
of  losing  his  constant  companion  of  fifteen 
years,  Perkeo  laid  himself  down  beside  the  tun 
and  quietly  died;  but  not  until  he  had  asked 
his  master  to  bury  him  beneath  the  faucet,  and 
to  have  a  statue  erected  to  Perkeo  close  to 
his  old  friend,  the  Great  Tun  of  Heidelberg. 

All  this  was  done,  just  as  Perkeo  wished, 
as  you  children  may  see  for  yourselves  when 
you  visit  Heidelberg. 

179 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

"  That  reminds  me,"  said  Mrs.  Staats,  "  of 
an  anecdote  I  once  read  about  a  man  who 
was  so  fond  of  a  certain  kind  of  wine  that 
he  wished  for  a  throat  as  long  as  the  Missis- 
sippi River,  in  order  that  he  might  longer 
enjoy  the  taste  of  it." 

"Oh,  girls,"  exclaimed  Margaret  Nelson, 
"  do  see  this  queer  little  house !  Miss  Belle,  it 
looks  as  if  it  might  have  been  the  home  of  a 
dwarf  like  Perkeo,  it  has  such  small  windows." 

"  No,"  said  Miss  Belle,  "  it  is  not  the  house 
of  a  dwarf,  although  it  can  be  found  not  so 
very  far  away  from  Heidelberg,  where  our 
friend  Perkeo  lived.  That  little  house  is  a 
tower,  built  on  a  small  island  almost  in  the 
middle  of  the  Rhine,  at  a  point  near  Bingen, 
where  the  river  narrows  very  considerably. 
It  is  called  the  '  Mausthurm,'  or  '  Mouse- 
Tower,'  and  its  legend  is  rather  gruesome." 

THE  MOUSE  TOWER 

Away  back   in    the  tenth   century,   there 
lived   an    Archbishop    of    Mayence    named 
1 80 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

Hatto.  He  was  a  noted  churchman,  a  very 
clever  statesman,  but  extremely  perfidious  and 
cruel-hearted. 

The  poor  people  of  his  country  were 
dreadfully  oppressed  by  the  taxes  he  imposed 
on  them ;  he  even  went  so  far  as  to  lay  a  tax 
on  corn,  and  in  consequence  was  cordially 
hated  by  the  peasants. 

There  came  a  year  when  all  the  crops 
failed,  and  there  was  a  terrible  famine  all 
over  the  land. 

The  peasants  had  no  money  and  no  corn, 
and  were  almost  at  the  point  of  starvation. 

But  the  Archbishop  cared  nothing  for 
their  distress ;  he  had  huge  barns  filled  to 
overflowing  with  the  corn  he  had  bought  in 
times  of  plenty,  and  hoarded  up  for  his  own 
benefit. 

This  grain  he  sold  for  a  high  price  to  the 
nobles,  but  he  laughed  at  the  miserable 
peasants,  who  begged  for  only  enough  to 
keep  them  alive. 

Exasperated  by  their  incessant  prayers  for 
181 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

help,  Hatto  determined  to  put  an  end  to  their 
importunities. 

He  notified  the  peasants  that  they  might 
all  meet  together  in  one  of  his  empty  barns, 
and  he  would  see  what  he  could  do  for  them. 

They  came  in  crowds  at  the  appointed 
time,  and  soon  the  building  could  hold  no 
more.  They  were  overjoyed  at  the  prospect 
of  food  in  abundance,  and  in  gratitude  for 
the  expected  assistance  almost  forgot  their 
hatred  of  the  Archbishop. 

But  alas  for  their  hopes  !  Instead  of  help- 
ing them,  the  wicked  Archbishop  ordered  his 
servants  to  close  all  the  doors  and  windows 
and  set  fire  to  the  barn. 

"  Destroy  them  all ! "  he  cried,  "  and  get 
rid  of  the  vermin.  They  are  like  rats,  good 
for  nothing  but  to  devour  the  corn." 

Then  he  returned  to  his  palace,  where 
a  banquet  was  being  prepared  for  his  sole 
benefit 

After  dinner  he  retired,  and  slept  soundly 
until  awakened  by  a  noise  in  the  dining- 
182 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

room  below.  He  paid  no  attention  to  it  then, 
but  the  next  morning  he  found  that  his  own 
portrait  had  been  gnawed  into  scraps  by 
mice. 

This  frightened  Hatto,  for  he  was  very 
superstitious,  and  in  those  days  many  people 
believed  that  the  souls  of  those  who  died  by 
violence  could  return  in  the  bodies  of  rats 
and  mice,  to  avenge  themselves  on  their 
murderers. 

While  he  was  breakfasting,  a  messenger 
came  running  in,  and  told  the  Archbishop 
that  an  army  of  rats  had  eaten  up  all  his 
corn,  and  was  coming  towards  the  palace. 

Hatto  ran  quickly  from  the  room,  jumped 
on  his  swiftest  horse,  and  rode  with  all  pos- 
sible speed  to  the  river. 

"  I  will  go  to  my  little  tower,"  he  thought. 
"  The  water  is  deep,  and  the  tide  so  strong 
that  the  rats  cannot  reach  me ;  there  I  shall 
be  perfectly  safe." 

He  reached  the  river  none  too  soon,  for 
he  had  barely  time  to  jump  into  a  boat  and 
183 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 


pull  away  from  the  shore,  when  the  mice  and 
rats  fell  upon  his  exhausted  horse  and  began 
to  devour  it. 

Across  the  river  Hatto  rowed  with  might 
and  main,  and  took  ref- 
uge in  his  little  tower. 
He  barred  every  door 
and  closed  every  open- 
ing, and  felt  so  secure 
that  he  lay  down  to 
sleep. 

Not  long  did  his 
slumbers  last.  The 
infuriated  rats  had 
swum  across  the  nar- 
row stream,  and,  find- 
ing no  way  to  enter  the 
tower,  were  gnawing 
their  way  through  the  walls. 

In  vain  did   Hatto  try  to  beat  them  off 
as    he   fled   to   an    upper   story ;  from  spot 
to  spot  they  pursued   him,  until,  overpow- 
ered by  their  numbers,  he  sank  exhausted, 
184 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

and  was  devoured  by  his  voracious  little 
enemies. 

In  this  way  was  the  cruel  Archbishop 
Hatto  of  Mayence  punished  for  his  crimes 
against  the  poor,  and  it  is  this  story  which 
gives  the  tower  its  name. 

Robert  Southey,  the  poet,  has  put  this 
story  into  rhyme,  and  he  describes  the  inva- 
sion of  the  rats  and  mice  in  a  very  vivid  way: 

"  And  in  at  the  window,  and  in  at  the  door, 
And  through  the  walls,  helter  skelter  they  pour, 
And  down  from  the  ceiling,  and  up  through  the  floor, 
From  the  right  and  the  left,  from  behind  and  before, 
From  within  and  without,  from  above  and  below, 
And  all  at  once  to  the  Bishop  they  go. 
They  have  whetted  their  teeth  against  the  stones, 
And  now  they  Ve  picked  the  Bishop's  bones. 
They  gnawed  the  flesh  from  every  limb, 
For  they  were  sent  to  do  judgment  on  him." 

"  Is  any  part  of  that  horrid  story  really 
true?"  asked  Elizabeth. 

The  little  girls  looked  so  subdued  and 
awe-struck  that  Miss  Belle  had  to  laugh  in 
spite  of  herself. 

185 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

"  Well,  my  dears,"  she  answered,  u  people 
who  are  very  particular  about  dates  and 
facts,  and  care  very  little  about  old  legends, 
insist  that  this  tower  was  not  built  until 
some  two  hundred  years  after  the  time  of 
Archbishop  Hatto. 

"  The  wise  people  claim  that  it  was  built  by 
a  certain  Bishop  Siegfried,  and  was  used  as 
a  toll-house  for  collecting  duties  upon  all 
the  goods  carried  by  boats  up  or  down  the 
river;  and  that  its  name  '  Maus  '  is  merely 
a  corruption  of  the  word  '  Maiith,'  which 
means  '  toll.' " 

"  Is  it  still  standing  in  the  middle  of  the 
river,  Miss  Belle  ? "  asked  Marie. 

"  Yes,  indeed.  I  think  it  is  used  nowadays 
as  a  signal  tower.  Vessels  descending  the 
river  are  obliged  to  slacken  speed  at  this 
point  when  other  vessels  are  coming  up- 
stream, and  all  the  signals  are  given  from 
'The  Mouse-Tower.'" 


1 86 


CHAPTER   XVII 

THE    LEGEND    OF   SAINT    CHRISTOPHER 

DO    see    this    little    charm,    girls ! " 
exclaimed  Genevieve.     "It  looks 
like  one  of  Grimm's  ogres,  carry- 
ing a  Hop-o'-my-thumb  on  his  back." 

"  I  am  sure,  children,"  said  Miss  Belle, 
"  that  some  of  you  have  been  told  the  history 
of  that  particular  giant.  Put  on  your  think- 
ing caps  and  try  to  remember  who  he  is." 

The  girls  all  looked  puzzled  and  a  trifle 
embarrassed,  but  at  length  Marie  Gardiner 
said  shyly:  "  I  think,  Miss  Belle,  that  the 
ogre  is  Saint  Christopher,  and  the  Hop-o'- 
my-thumb  is  the  infant  Jesus." 

"You  are  quite  right,  Marie.  Can  you  tell 
us  the  legend  ?  Will  you  try  ? " 

"  Father  told  it  to  me,"  said  Marie,  "  and 
I  have  heard  it  so  often  that  I  believe  I  can 
tell  it  almost  as  well  as  he  does." 
187 


Elizabeth's  Charm-String 


LEGEND  OF  SAINT  CHRISTOPHER 

Once  upon  a  time,  ever  and  ever  so  many 
hundreds  of  years  ago,  there  lived  in  the 
land  of  Canaan  a  man  called  Offero,  which 
means  "  a  bearer."  He  is  said  to  have  been 
twelve  feet  tall,  and  was  stronger  than  any 
fifty  ordinary  men  put  together. 

He  was  so  proud  of  his  strength  that  he 
vowed  he  would  never  serve  any  but  the 
most  powerful  king  in  the  whole  world.  He 
journeyed  about,  until  he  reached  the  court 
of  a  king  who  had  conquered  many  coun- 
tries, and  was  so  rich  that  he  did  not  know 
how  much  gold  and  silver  he  owned. 

The  giant  offered  his  services  to  this 
King,  who  accepted  them  gladly,  for  he  was 
quite  sure  that  no  such  man  as  this  giant 
had  been  seen  since  the  days  of  Goliath. 

Offero  lived  with  his  master  several  years 
and  served  him  faithfully. 

One  day  a  famous  traveller  arrived  at  the 
palace;  he  had  come  to  tell  the  King  about 
188 


Elizabetfis  Charm-String 

many  wonderful  adventures  he  had  met 
with,  and  the  many  curious  sights  he  had 
seen. 

During  this  man's  recital,  Offero  heard 
him  use  the  word  "  Satan  "  very  often.  Every 
time  this  name  was  mentioned  the  King 
would  bow  his  head  and  make  the  sign  of 
the  cross  on  his  breast. 

This  so  astonished  Offero  that  he  asked 
the  King  why  he  made  this  gesture  so  fre- 
quently. At  first  the  King  refused  to  answer 
the  giant's  question,  but  finally  acknowledged 
that  he  was  very  much  afraid  of  this  person 
called  Satan. 

"  Then  I  will  no  longer  serve  you,"  cried 
Offero,  "  because  if  you  are  afraid  of  Satan, 
he  must  be  greater  than  you  are,  and  I  have 
sworn,  in  the  pride  of  my  strength,  that  I 
will  serve  only  the  man  who  is  the  most 
powerful  person  to  be  found." 

Offero  then  left  this  King's  court  and 
travelled  far  and  wide  seeking  King  Satan. 

One  day,  while  crossing  a  desert,  he  saw 
189 


RlizabetJts  Charm-String 

coming  toward  him  a  tall,  soldierly-looking 
man,  whose  face  would  have  been  beautiful 
and  pleasing  but  for  the  cruel,  threatening 
expression  of  the  eyes. 

Behind  him  marched  a  vast  army  of  men, 
women,  and  even  little  children.  Some  of 
these  people  looked  very  prosperous  and 
joyful ;  others  appeared  unhappy,  ragged, 
and  ignorant. 

The  leader  approached  Offero,  and  with 
the  air  of  a  conqueror  demanded  who  he  was, 
and  where  he  was  going. 

"  I  am  Offero,  the  Canaanite,  the  strongest 
man  in  the  world,"  replied  the  giant,  "  and  I 
am  trying  to  find  the  court  of  King  Satan. 
But  who  are  you,  and  who  are  these  behind 
you  ? " 

"  I  am  Satan,"  the  man  answered  proudly, 
"and  these  people  who  follow  me  are  my 
slaves,  bound  to  me  body  and  soul." 

"  If  you  are  indeed  Satan,  then  I  have 
found  the  master  I  seek,"  and,  so  speaking, 
Offero  knelt  and  offered  his  services  to 
190 


Rlizabettis  Charm-String 

Satan,  who  graciously  accepted   them,  and 
placed  the  giant  at  his  right  hand. 

Offero  lived  with  Satan  many  years,  and 
was  as  faithful  to  him  as  he  had  been  to  his 
first  master. 

They  roamed  from  one  country  to  another. 
At  length  in  the  course  of  their  travels  they 
came  to  a  place  where  several  roads  met. 
By  the  wayside  stood  a  tall  wooden  cross. 

This  'cross  was  merely  a  sign-post,  but 
when  Satan  saw  it  he  trembled  like  a  leaf 
and  turned  very  pale ;  he  was  so  frightened 
that  rather  than  pass  the  cross  he  marched 
his  followers  many  miles  out  of  their  way. 

Offero,  on  perceiving  Satan's  terror,  cried 
out,  "  What  is  the  matter,  my  master  ?  What 
is  there  about  that  cross  to  be  afraid  of  ?  I 
can  see  nothing  wrong." 

Satan  hid  his  face  and  answered,  "  Upon 
that  cross  the  Christ  died  to  save  sinners. 
I  may  be  King  of  the  Earth,  but  he  is  the 
King  of  Heaven,  and  has  power  to  destroy 
me." 

191 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

"  If  this  Christ  is  more  powerful  than  you 
are,  I  must  leave  you  and  go  find  him.  I 
will  no  longer  serve  you  since  I  know  there 
is  a  King  of  whom  you  are  afraid,"  said 
Offero. 

The  giant  at  once  set  forth  in  search 
of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven ;  he  went  here, 
there,  and  everywhere,  but  no  one  could  tell 
him  where  to  find  this  great  King  Christ. 

One  night  while  walking  through'  a  dark, 
lonely  forest  he  saw  a  faint  light  far  ahead, 
and,  guiding  his  footsteps  by  it,  came  to  a 
little  house. 

He  knocked  on  the  door,  and  on  entering 
learned  he  was  in  the  house  of  a  very  wise 
and  holy  hermit. 

This  man  explained  to  Offero  all  that  was 
known  about  Christ,  and  how  he  had  died 
on  the  cross  for  our  sins. 

He  told  the  giant  that  the   Kingdom   of 
Heaven  was    on    the    other  side  of  a    river 
called   Death,  and  that  no  one  could  cross 
this  stream  until  called  by  Christ  himself. 
192 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

"  The  best  way  to  find  Christ,"  said  the 
hermit  finally,  "  is  to  fast  and  pray  and 
work." 

"  I  will  not  fast,"  replied  Offero,  "  because 
then  I  should  lose  some  of  my  strength ;  and 
how  can  I  pray  to  a  King  I  do  not  know  and 
cannot  see  ?  I  am  quite  willing  to  work,  how- 
ever, in  any  way  you  think  will  please  your 
Master  and  King." 

"  Very  well,"  said  the  hermit,  "  I  will  set 
you  a  task.  Not  far  from  here  is  a  river, 
wide,  deep,  and  stony  ;  it  is  often  swollen 
by  the  heavy  rains,  and  its  current  is  so 
very  swift  that  many  feeble  people  perish  in 
attempting  to  cross  it. 

u  Go  you  and  aid  them  with  your  strength, 
and  it  may  be  that  you  will  please  the  Christ 
by  doing  this  helpful  work,  and  he  may  show 
himself  to  you  in  some  way." 

Offero  did  as  the  hermit  suggested.  He 
built  himself  a  hut  on  the  river-bank,  and  for 
a  staff  he  pulled  up  a  young  palm-tree. 

By  day  or  by  night  he  was  always  ready 
13  193 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

either  to  help  those  who  needed  his  assistance, 
or  to  carry  those  who  were  too  weak  to  even 
attempt  crossing  by  themselves. 

One  night,  when  it  was  so  very  dark  and 
stormy  that  he  felt  sure  no  travellers  would 
be  abroad,  he  went  to  bed  early  and  was  soon 
fast  asleep. 

He  was  wakened  by  the  sound  of  a  child's 
voice,  crying  "  Offero !  Offero  !  come  carry 
me  over  the  river  !  " 

The  giant  looked  outside,  but  could  see 
no  one.  Thinking  he  had  dreamed  of  hear- 
ing this  call  for  help,  he  went  back  to  bed. 

Again  came  the  cry,  and  again  he  could 
see  nobody;  a  third  time  he  heard  it,  "  Offero ! 
help  me  !  come  quickly  !  " 

Offero  seized  his  lantern,  ran  out  of  doors 
and  searched  diligently,  but  apparently  he 
was  again  mistaken  in  the  sound. 

Suddenly  out  of  the  darkness  appeared 
a  little  boy  clothed  in  beautiful  white  robes, 
who  begged  to  be  carried  over  the  river. 

The  giant  laughed  as  he  lifted  the  child 
194 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

and  placed  him  on  his  own  broad  back.  He 
was  such  a  wee  little  fellow  that  to  Offero 
his  weight  was  less  than  a  feather,  and  in 
spite  of  the  storm  he  thought  his  task  would 
be  a  light  one. 

Alas  for  Offero 's  pride !  At  every  step  his 
burden  grew  heavier  and  heavier,  and  his 
strength  began  to  weaken  ;  even  with  the  aid 
of  his  staff  he  could  scarcely  make  any  prog- 
ress, and  when  after  a  frightful  struggle  he 
at  last  reached  the  opposite  shore,  he  was 
utterly  exhausted. 

"  Who  are  you  ? "  he  asked  faintly,  as  he 
lifted  the  child  from  his  back.  "  Who 
are  you  whose  weight  has  so  tired  my 
strength  ? " 

Instead  of  a  child,  before  him  stood  a 
beautiful  young  man.  A  bright  light  shone 
about  his  head,  and  Offero  thought  that 
never  before  had  been  seen  such  a  gentle, 
loving  face. 

"  I  am  the  Christ  you  seek,"  was  the  an- 
swer, "  and  it  is  no  wonder  you  are  so  tired, 
195 


Elizabeth's  Charm-String 

for  you  have  carried  not  only  the  world,  but 
all  the  sins  of  the  world,  which  I  took  on 
my  shoulders. 

"  People  call  you  Offero  —  the  bearer  ; 
but  hereafter  you  shall  be  called  Christ- 
offero  —  the  Christ-bearer. 

"  You  have  tried  to  serve  me  by  aiding 
the  poor  and  the  helpless,  and  I  am  pleased 
with  you.  To  show  my  pleasure  and  prove 
that  I  am  indeed  Christ,  I  bid  you  plant  your 
staff  in  the  ground,  and  it  shall  grow  and 
blossom." 

Offero  did  as  he  was  told,  and  lo !  his  old 
staff  flourished  at  once  into  a  young  date 
palm,  and  its  branches  were  covered  with  lus- 
cious ripe  fruit. 

When  the  giant  looked  again  for  the 
young  man,  the  latter  had  disappeared. 

Offero  suddenly  realized  that  he  had  in- 
deed seen  the  Christ,  and,  falling  on  his 
knees,  found  also  that  he  had  learned  how 
to  pray. 

Then  the  giant  went  back  into  the  great 
196 


Elizabeth's  Charm-String 


world  calling  himself  Christoffero,  or  Chris- 
topher, as  he  had  been  told  to  do. 

Always  he    helped    the  weak  and  needy, 
and  told  every  one  he  met  about  the  Christ. 

At  length  Christo- 
pher reached  Samos,  a 
city  of  Lycia,  where  the 
people  spoke  a  language 
unknown  to  him.  He 
prayed  to  Christ  for 
power  to  speak  and 
understand  this  strange 
tongue ;  his  prayer  be- 
ing granted,  he  sought 
out  the  Christians  who 
were  then  being  perse- 
cuted because  of  their 
religion,  and  did  all  he 
possibly  could  to  help  and  comfort  them. 

The  King  of  this  country  was  called  Dag- 

nus.     When  he  beheld  the  gigantic  stature 

and  enormous  strength  of   Christopher,    he 

became  so  frightened  that  he  almost  fainted 

197 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

on  his  throne,  and  ordered  his  soldiers  to 
cast  the  giant  into  prison. 

The  King  sent  many  of  his  own  people  to 
tempt  Christopher  to  deny  Christ,  or  to  cause 
him  to  fall  into  sin ;  but  the  giant  would 
never  yield,  because  he  knew  the  only  way 
to  serve  his  own  King  was  to  do  good  and 
be  faithful. 

Dagnus  became  very  angry  with  Christo- 
pher and,  as  he  was  also  very  much  afraid  of 
him,  had  the  poor  man  horribly  tortured, 
and  finally  ordered  that  his  head  should  be 
cut  off. 

"  I  think  that  is  all,  Miss  Belle,"  added 
Marie. 

"  Well  done,  Marie,  but  there  is  one  thing 
you  have  forgotten,  or  perhaps  have  never 
heard." 

A  SECOND  LEGEND 

Just  as  the  soldiers  were  about  to  cut  off 
his  head,  Christopher  prayed  aloud,  asking 
198 


Elizabeth's  Charm-String 

that  the  followers  of  Christ  who  saw  him  — 
Christopher  —  on  that  day  should  not  suffer 
from  tempest  or  fire  or  earthquake. 

Saint  Christopher  was,  I  might  say  is,  re- 
garded as  a  type  of  courage  and  endurance, 
and  it  was  a  firm  belief  for  centuries,  that 
whoever  looked  at  the  image  of  the  saint 
would  on  that  day  fail  neither  in  strength 
nor  purpose.  For  that  reason  immense  pict- 
ures or  images  of  him  used  to  be  placed 
on  the  walls  of  churches  or  houses,  so  that 
they  might  be  seen  from  a  great  distance. 

There  is  a  certain  mountain  in  Granada 
which  is  the  first  thing  seen  by  the  ships 
coming  from  the  African  coast.  This  moun- 
tain, so  I  was  told,  because  of  the  sailors' 
superstitious  belief  in  the  helpfulness  of  the 
Christ-bearer,  was  by  them  christened  "  San 
Cristobal." 


199 


CHAPTER   XVIII 

THE   LORELEI    LEGEND 

DDES  this  little  gold  harp  typify 
Saint  Cecelia,  Aunt  Belle?" 
asked  Elizabeth. 

"  No  indeed,  Elizabeth,  that  harp  is  the 
symbol  of  nothing  saintly  or  angelic ;  its 
music  always  meant  mischief,  often  shipwreck 
and  death. 

"  Have  none  of  you  ever  heard  the  legend 
of  the  '  Lorelei,'  the  siren  of  the  Rhine  ?  " 
A  chorus  of  "  Noes  "  was  the  reply. 
"  Listen   then,    and   you   shall    hear   two 
stories  about  her.     The  first  is  the  tale  of  a 
love  that  did  not  run  smoothly,  and  perhaps 
it  had  an  actual  occurrence  for  its  foundation." 

LEGEND  OF  THE  LORELEI 

Several  centuries  ago   there  lived  in  the 
town  of  Bacharach,  on  the  Rhine,  a  man  of 
200 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

humble  station,  who  had  a  very  beautiful 
daughter  named  Lorelei. 

The  father  was  too  poor  to  give  his 
daughter  any  marriage  portion,  but  for  the 
sake  of  her  sweet  face,  her  goodness  and 
cleverness,  suitors  of  all  degrees,  from  prince 
to  peasant,  sought  her  hand  in  marriage. 

She  refused  them  one  and  all,  because  not 
a  man  among  them  had  won  her  heart. 

Many  a  rejected  suitor  drowned  himself 
in  the  Rhine,  heart-broken  by  the  coldness 
of  this  charming  maiden. 

Ere  long  Lorelei  began  to  wish  that  some- 
thing would  happen  to  mar  her  beauty,  for 
she  grieved  at  being  the  cause  of  so  much 
unhappiness,  and  if  she  was  ugly,  she  would 
not  be  bothered  with  so  many  unwelcome 
lovers. 

Many  of  her  girl  friends,  however,  who  may 
have  been  jealous  -of  her  beauty  and  popu- 
larity, declared  that  Lorelei  was  simply  a 
vain,  hard-hearted  coquette.  They  said  she 
was  so  proud  of  her  lovely  face,  that  she  re- 
201 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

fused  all  these  lovers  in  order  to  increase  the 
number  of  her  conquests  by  her  seeming 
indifference ;  and  they  were  all  quite  sure 
that  she  would  in  some  way  or  other  be 
properly  punished  for  her  cruelty. 

One  fine  day  there  came  to  woo  our  fair 
maiden  a  knight  so  brave  and  handsome 
that  Lorelei  fell  in  love  with  him  at  first 
sight,  and  soon  after  they  were  formally 
betrothed. 

There  was  always  more  or  less  fighting 
going  on  in  those  days,  and  the  successful 
knight  vowed  that  he  would  go  to  the  wars, 
and  by  his  valor  and  courage  prove  himself 
worthy  of  the  peerless  Lorelei. 

His  sweetheart  entreated  him  not  to  leave 
her,  but  he  was  ambitious,  and  desired  to 
offer  his  bride  a  name  made  famous  by  deeds 
of  prowess. 

So  off  to  the  wars  went  the  knight. 

Lorelei  grieved  bitterly  for  her  lover,  but 
the  other  girls  jeered  at  her  distress  ;  indeed, 
they  thought  she  deserved  it. 
202 


RlizabetKs  Charm-String 

Many  weary  months  passed,  and  she  had 
heard  nothing  whatever  from  her  betrothed; 
her  heart  was  full  of  forebodings.  Was  he 
dead  ?  Had  he  ceased  to  love  her  ? 

Many  other  suitors  came  to  ask  the  hand 
of  this  poor  village  girl,  but  her  heart  was 
true  to  her  absent  lover,  and  she  would  not 
listen  to  any  other  man. 

At  last  the  other  maidens  in  the  town 
and  neighborhood  lost  all  patience,  and  car- 
ried their  grievances  to  the  Archbishop  of 
Cologne. 

They  assured  him  that  this  Lorelei,  who 
appeared  so  sweet  and  amiable,  was  at  heart 
both  selfish  and  cruel ;  not  content  with 
being  betrothed  to  the  man  of  her  heart,  she 
endeavored  to  take  away  from  other  girls  the 
lovers  she  did  not  want  herself. 

Lorelei  was  ordered  to  appear  before  the 
Archbishop  of  Cologne,  in  order  that  he 
might  inquire  into  the  truth  of  these  accu- 
sations. 

The  Archbishop  had  never  seen  Lorelei, 
203 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

but  he  found  that  Dame  Rumor  had  not  ex- 
aggerated her  beauty  or  her  fascinations.  He 
investigated  all  complaints,  asking  Lorelei 
and  her  accusers  numerous  searching  ques- 
tions. 

Finally  he  reached  a  conclusion,  and  stated 
that  he  had  not  found  a  single  case  wherein 
Lorelei  was  at  fault  or  deserving  of  censure. 

Lorelei  threw  herself  at  the  feet  of  the 
Archbishop,  and  beseeched  him  to  kill  her. 
She  said  she  was  so  unhappy  over  her  lov- 
er's long  absence,  the  jealousy  of  her  neigh- 
bors and  the  trouble  caused  by  her  beauty 
made  her  so  miserable,  that  she  longed  to  die. 

The  Archbishop  had  no  right  to  grant 
such  a  request,  even  if  he  had  been  willing 
to  destroy  so  much  loveliness ;  but  he  told 
Lorelei  that  if  she  wished  to,  she  might  go  to 
some  convent,  and  wait  there  quietly  until 
she  heard  from  her  betrothed. 

Travelling  alone  was  not  very  safe  in  those 
days,  so  the  Archbishop  directed  several  of  his 
soldiers  to  escort  Lorelei  to  her  destination. 
204 


Rlizabetlts  Charm-String 

The  party  journeyed  along  the  Rhine, 
until  they  reached  Saint  Goar. 

Here  the  river  is  very  narrow  and  the 
current  is  dangerously  swift ;  the  cliffs  are  so 
high  that  they  almost  shut  out  the  sunlight, 
and  one  of  these  rocks  juts  out  sharply  into 
the  water. 

Lorelei  begged  permission  to  climb  this 
rock,  and  take  a  farewell  view  of  her  beloved 
river. 

As  she  stood  on  this  height  she  saw  a 
boat  approaching,  and  standing  in  the  bow 
was  her  betrothed.  To  attract  his  attention 
she  began  to  sing  a  wondrously  lovely  strain 
of  music. 

The  knight  heard  her,  and  was  so  fasci- 
nated by  the  melody,  and  by  the  sight  of 
his  adored  Lorelei,  that  he  forgot  everything 
else.  His,  boat,  not  being  properly  steered, 
was  caught  in  the  swift  current,  dashed  to 
pieces  against  the  rocks,  and  the  knight 
disappeared  under  the  rushing  waters. 

When  Lorelei  realized  that  her  lover  was 
205 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

drowning,  she  threw  herself  headlong  from 
the  rock  and  shared  his  sad  fate. 

From  that  time  this  rock  has  been  known 
as  the  "  Loreleiberg." 


So  far  as  this  story  is  concerned  the 
legend  is  quite  plausible,  but  according  to 
other  traditions  the  Lorelei  was  not  a  human 
being  at  all,  but  a  water-nymph,  a  daughter 
of  the  Rhine  god,  and  her  home  was  in  an 
enchanted  palace  at  the  bottom  of  the  Rhine. 
206 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

On  moonlight  nights  she  would  leave  her 
fairy  home,  and  seat  herself  on  this  high  rock 
at  Saint  Goar. 

Sometimes  she  was  seen  combing  her 
long  golden  hair  with  a  jewelled  comb ; 
sometimes  she  held  a  golden  harp,  and  to  its 
accompaniment  sang  exquisite  melodies. 

So  marvellous  was  her  beauty,  and  so 
alluring  was  the  sound  of  her  voice,  that 
when  men  saw  or  heard  her  they  straightway 
forgot  everything  else. 

Many  a  poor  sailor  was  lured  to  his  death 
by  the  Lorelei.  Forgetful  of  his  boat,  it 
would  be  drawn  into  the  whirling  eddies  at 
the  base  of  the  siren's  rock,  and  dashed  to 
pieces  against  it. 

Strange  to  say,  this  lovely  water-nymph 
had  chosen  for  her  lover  an  humble  fisher- 
man. She  would  tell  him  where  to  cast  his 
nets,  and  he  was  always  lucky  and  found 
them  full  of  fish. 

One  night  he  climbed  the  Lorelei's  rock, 
but  never  came  back,  never  again  was  seen 
207 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

by  mortal  man ;  the  Lorelei  had  carried  him 
down  to  her  enchanted  palace  under  the 
Rhine. 

There  was  a  certain  Count  Ludwig,  the 
only  son  of  a  great  feudal  lord,  who  lived 
in  a  town  called  Stahleck. 

Ludwig  was  a  handsome  man  and  a  val- 
iant soldier.  He  had  heard  so  much  about 
the  Lorelei's  beauty  that  nothing  would  do 
but  that  he  must  go  see  her  himself,  and 
perhaps  bring  her  back  to  iStahleck  as  his 
bride. 

With  this  hope  in  view,  he  fitted  out  a 
boat  with  great  splendor,  and  sailed  toward 
Saint  Goar. 

As  the  vessel  approached  the  Lorelei's 
rock,  sweet  strains  of  music  were  heard,  and 
in  the  clear  moonlight  Ludwig  caught  a 
glimpse  of  the  Lorelei.  She  stood  on  the 
rock,  her  harp  in  her  hands ;  her  soft  white 
draperies  floated  about  her  like  a  mist,  and 
jewels  shone  in  her  golden  hair. 

The  boat  drew  nearer,  and  the  vision  grew 
208 


Elizabeth's  Charm-String 

more  distinct.  Ludwig,  like  a  man  under 
the  spell  of  an  enchantress,  was  lost  to 
everything  but  the  sight  of  that  marvellous 
beauty  and  the  sound  of  that  enticing 
voice. 

Alas  for  the  unfortunate  knight !  His 
sailors  were  also  spellbound,  and  the  fine 
vessel  of  Count  Ludwig  shared  the  fate  of 
the  humblest  fishing  boat. 

The  Lorelei  had  lured  the  knight  to  his 
death  ! 

But  one  person  on  board  the  vessel  es- 
caped, and  he  carried  the  sad  news  back  to 
Stahleck. 

The  unhappy  father  swore  he  would  have 
the  Lorelei's  life  in  return  for  his  son's,  and 
sent  a  number  of  his  bravest  warriors  to  cap- 
ture the  water-nymph. 

The  soldiers  hurried  to  the  rock,  crept  up 
stealthily,  and  surrounded  the  Lorelei  so 
closely  that  there  seemed  no  way  of  escape* 
open,  unless  she  threw  herself  into  the  Rhine. 
Then  the  soldiers  called  on  her  to  surrender. 
H  209 


RlizabetKs  Charm-String 

The  Lorelei  made  no  reply,  but,  standing 
up  in  the  moonlight,  she  loosened  her  golden 
hair,  and,  waving  her  arms  gracefully,  began 
to  dance.  Such  strange,  fantastic  dancing  as 
this  these  hardy  soldiers  had  never  seen,  and 
under  its  spell  they  were  as  helpless  as  a  bird 
charmed  by  a  snake.  Little  by  little  she 
neared  the  edge  of  the  cliff,  and  there  the 
dance  ended. 

The  Lorelei  took  off  all  her  jewels  and 
dropped  them  into  the  river;  then  lifting 
her  harp,  she  began  to  sing.  The  melody  was 
very  weird,  filling  the  hearts  of  the  listeners 
with  a  vague  terror.  It  may  be  she  was 
appealing  to  the  Rhine  god  for  help;  if  so 
he  must  have  heard  her,  for  the  river  began 
to  foam  and  bubble,  and  the  water  rose 
higher  and  higher,  until  it  reached  the  sum- 
mit of  the  rock  where  the  Lorelei  stood. 

Up  from  its  green  depths  there  arose  a 
ehariot  of  pink  coral,  adorned  with  pearls, 
and  to  it  four  white  sea-horses  were  har- 
nessed. Still  singing,  the  Lorelei  stepped 
210 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

into  this  fairy-like  carriage,  and  slowly  the 
water  sank  to  its  usual  level. 

When  the  soldiers,  released  from  the  spell 
of  the  Lorelei's  presence,  ran  to  the  edge  of 
the  cliff  and  looked  over,  nothing  unusual 
was  to  be  seen,  but  up  from  the  depths  of 
the  Rhine  came  a  peal  of  mocking  laughter. 

Never  again  was  the  beautiful  water- 
nymph  seen  in  the  moonlight  combing  her 
hair,  but  sometimes  when  the  moon  is  full 
and  the  night  very  quiet,  the  sailors  imagine 
they  can  hear  her  singing,  and  they  say  to 
each  other,  "  Listen !  the  Lorelei  is  singing 
to  her  fisher  lover." 


211 


CHAPTER   XIX 

THE  DOVES  OF  VENICE  — THE  LION  OF  LU- 
CERNE—THE MONKEY'S  TOWER  — HILDA'S 
TOWER  — THE  DURHAM  KNOCKER  —  THE 
IRON  VIRGIN  — THE  CROSS  OF  SAINT  BER- 
NARD —  MONTE  -DI-PIETA  —  THE  LITTLE 
CORPORAL 

BELLE,"  said   Mrs.  Staats,  "instead 
of  telling  another  long  story,  sup- 
pose you  fill  up  the  half-hour  before 
lunch  with    what  one    might   call  *  general 
information  '  about  Elizabeth's  '  buttons.' ' 

"  That  is  a  very  good  idea,"  replied  Belle, 
"  and  I  will  commence  with  this  little  enam- 
elled bird.  Its  coloring  is  almost  exactly  like 
that  of  the  *  Pigeons  of  Saint  Mark's,'  from 
which  it  was  modelled." 

THE  DOVES  OF  VENICE 

Hundreds  of  these  pigeons  fly  unmolested 
about  the  Church  and  Piazza  of  San  Marco 
212 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

in  Venice,  and  they  have  possessed  this  privi- 
lege ever  since  the  year  877  A.D. 

They  are  quite  tame,  and  the  sight  of  your 
hands  filled  with  corn  will  bring  the  pretty 


creatures  flocking  around  you.  They  will 
light  on  your  shoulders  and  feed  from  your 
hands  or  from  your  lips,  without  fear. 

One  story  relates  that  these  birds  are  held 
sacred,  because  a  carrier-pigeon  brought  to  a 
Doge  of  Venice  in  ancient  days  a  message 
that  enabled  the  Venetians  to  win  a  glorious 
victory.  But  their  exemption  from  the  usual 
fate  of  pigeons  probably  originated  in  one  of 
the  holiday  games  of  the  Venetians.  In  the 
213 


RlizabetKs  Charm-String 

old  and  palmy  days  of  the  Republic  it  was 
customary,  after  the  High  Mass  on  Palm 
Sunday,  for  the  Sacristan  of  Saint  Mark's  to 
let  loose  a  number  of  pigeons  in  the  piazza. 

The  birds  were  always  handicapped  in 
their  flight  by  scraps  of  paper  fastened  un- 
der their  wings. 

The  Venetians  would  gather  together  in 
the  piazza  and  scramble  good-naturedly  for 
these  pigeons.  No  quarrelling  or  fighting 
over  them  was  allowed.  The  captured  birds 
were  fattened  up  for  the  Easter  dinner,  and 
the  victors  were  expected  to  invite  their  less 
fortunate  neighbors  to  share  the  feast. 

The  pigeons  lucky  enough  to  escape 
found  a  veritable  "  city  of  refuge "  in  the 
roof  and  niches  of  the  church.  These  birds 
were  regarded  as  sacred,  and  rounded  out 
their  little  lives  in  peace  and  plenty. 

Formerly  they  were  fed  at  the  expense  of 
the  government,  but  after  Napoleon  Bona- 
parte in  1797  A.D.  declared  the  downfall  of 
the  Republic,  and  transferred  all  the  Vene- 
214 


Rlizabettis  Charm-String 

tian  territory  to  Austria,  the  pigeons  were 
sadly  neglected ;  the  stones  of  Venice  do  not 
afford  much  food  for  birds,  and  hundreds  of 
them  starved  to  death. 

Now  they  are  provided  for  by  the  income 
from  a  sum  of  money  bequeathed  to  the  city 
by  some  charitable-minded  lady,  for  the  spe- 
cial maintenance  of  the  pigeons.  Besides 
this,  several  peasants  are  always  to  be  found 
in  the  piazza  with  little  packages  of  corn, 
which  they  sell  for  a  penny  each. 

Very  few  of  the  many  people  who  visit 
Venice  pass  through  the  piazza  without 
squandering  a  few  pennies  for  the  pleasure  of 
feeding  the  pigeons,  so  the  birds  are  in  no 
present  danger  of  starvation. 

"  Dear  me,  Aunt  Belle,  every  time  I 
decide  which  charm  I  like  best,  you  tell 
me  something  that  makes  me  change  my 
mind." 

"  Oh  ! "  said  Genevieve,  "  do  not  bother 
your  head  about  that.  What  is  the  use  of 
215 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

trying  to  pick  out  the  biggest  apple  in  a  bar- 
rel, when  they  are  all  the  same  size?  Just 
like  all  the  charms  the  best." 

The  laughter  caused  by  this  characteristic 
speech  was  interrupted  by  Miss  Belle  calling 
their  attention  to  a  tiny  silver  bas-relief, 
which  she  told  the  children  was  called  the 
"  Lion  of  Lucerne." 

"  The  original  of  this  figure,"  she  con- 
tinued, "  was  carved  out  of  the  solid  rock  of 
a  mountain-side  at  Lucerne,  by  the  famous 
Norwegian  sculptor,  Thorwaldsen.  The 
huge  lion,  twenty-eight  feet  long  and  fifteen 
feet  high,  is  dying,  pierced  by  a  spear  broken 
short  off  in  his  body,  and  one  paw  is  closed 
over  the  *  Lilies  of  France '  as  though  the 
lion  loved  and  desired  to  protect  them." 

THE  LION  OF  LUCERNE 

The  "  Lion  of  Lucerne  "  was  carved  as  a 
monument  to  bravery  and  loyalty,  in  mem- 
ory of  twenty-six  officers  and  seven  hundred 
and  fifty  soldiers  of  the  famous  regiment  of 
216 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

Swiss  Guards,  who  lost  their  lives  while  de- 
fending the  Tuileries  Palace  against  the  fury 
of  a  mob  on  August  10,  1792  A.D. 

On  that  night  thousands  of  rioters,  armed 
with  pikes,  attacked  the  palace.  The  sol- 
diers of  the  National  Guard  were  divided 
between  their  allegiance  to  the  King,  and 
their  sympathy  with  the  common  people, 
and  their  fidelity  wavered.  Perhaps  they 
would  have  remained  loyal  and  joined  the 
soldiers  of  the  Swiss  Guard  in  defending  the 
palace,  had  not  the  King  decided  to  leave 
the  Tuileries  with  his  family  and  take  refuge 
in  the  building  called  the  "  Manege,"  where 
the  National  Assembly — the  representa- 
tives of  the  people  —  held  their  meetings. 

All  the  soldiers  of  the  National  Guard  left 
the  Tuileries,  but  the  Swiss  Guards  and 
about  one  hundred  and  twenty  nobles  who 
were  loyal  to  the  King  refused  to  surrender 
the  palace.  They  fired  on  the  rioters,  and 
might  easily  have  dispersed  them,  but  the 
King  sent  word  to  cease  firing  and  surrender. 
217 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

The  rioters  renewed  the  attack,  and  in 
a  few  minutes  burst  into  the  palace,  killing 
every  soldier  they  saw,  and  destroying  every- 
thing they  could  lay  their  hands  on.  The 


L 


Swiss  Guards  were  nearly  all  killed  in  the 
gardens  as  they  retreated,  and  the  few  who 
survived  gave  up  their  arms  by  order  of  the 
King. 

You  understand,  then,  that  these  foreign 
soldiers  were  far  more  loyal  to  the  unfortu- 
218 


Elizabeth's  Charm-String 

nate  King  Louis  XVI,  and  the  still  more 
unfortunate  Queen  Marie  Antoinette,  than 
were  the  French  soldiers  of  the  National 
Guard.  That  is  why  the  monument  shows 
the  "  Lion  of  Lucerne  "  protecting  the  Bour- 
bon lilies. 

Cut  in  the  rock  below  the  lion  are  the 
names  of  these  brave  officers,  and  an  inscrip- 
tion describing  the  cause  and  manner  of 
their  death.  At  the  foot  of  the  cliff,  just 
beneath  the  monument  is  a  little  artificial 
lake,  bordered  with  clusters  of  water  lilies, 
and  floating  on  its  surface  are  white  swans. 
It  is  all  so  quiet  and  peaceful,  that  it  is  hard 
to  realize  that  the  dying  lion  commemorates 
a  scene  of  murder  and  violence. 

"  Miss  Belle,"  asked  Marie,  "  has  every  one 
of  these  little  animals  on  Elizabeth's  charm- 
string  a  history  ?  " 

"  No,  my  dear,  but  nearly  all  of  them  are 
typical  of  street  scenes  in  the  cities  where 
they  were  bought. 

219 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

"  In  Florence  the  people  drive  the  prettiest 
little  donkeys  I  have  ever  seen.  Early  every 
morning  in  Naples  you  will  see  flocks  of 
goats  driven  through  the  streets,  and  milked 
at  each  house  door.  At  Monte  Carlo  a  pig 
is  the  proper  charm  to  wear,  and  at  Paris 
a  French  poodle. 

"  That  little  monkey  you  have  now  in  your 
hand  came  from  Rome,  and  he  deserves  to 
be  called  historical. 

"  One  afternoon  I  was  sauntering  along  a 
narrow  street  in  Rome,  when  most  unex- 
pectedly it  widened  out  into  a  small  open 
space,  or  piazza.  It  was  not  the  cleanest  place 
I  have  ever  seen,  but  it  certainly  was  a  very 
interesting  and  a  very  busy  little  place. 

"  In  the  surrounding  shops  I  imagine  one 
could  buy  anything,  from  antiquities  to  freshly 
roasted  chestnuts,  from  diamonds  to  postage 
stamps ;  there  was  also  a  little  church  near 
by,  and  very  likely  one  of  the  little  shops 
was  a  lottery  office. 

"  But  what  most  attracted  my  attention  was 
220 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

a  building  which  perhaps  in  its  best  days 
had  been  a  palace,  maybe  the  home  of  some 
great  Roman  noble.  Above  the  entrance 
rose  a  tall  square  tower ;  on  one  angle  of  its 
battlements  stood  a  shrine  to  the  Virgin 
Mary,  and  before  this  a  light  was  burning. 

"  I  had  seen  many  similar  shrines  on 
the  corners  and  above  the  doorways  of  build- 
ings, but  never  one  in  such  an  exalted  posi- 
tion as  this.  I  wondered  very  much  why 
it  had  been  placed  so  far  above  all  practical 
purposes,  and  later  on  I  learned  the  reason." 

HILDA'S  TOWER 

There  once  lived  in  this  tower  a  man  who 
owned  a  pet  monkey;  the  animal  was  very 
tame  and  good-natured,  and  the  man's  only 
son,  then  little  more  than  a  baby,  was  espe- 
cially fond  of  it. 

Imagine  the  horror  of  the  baby's  parents 
when  one  morning  they  discovered  the  mon- 
key climbing  up  the  tower,  carrying  their  lit- 
tle son  with  him.  When  the  top  was  reached 

221 


Elizabeth's  Charm-String 


rj 


the  monkey  balanced  himself  on  the  parapet, 
and  with  the  child  in  his  arms  rocked  back 
and  forth  on  this  narrow  ledge. 

The  parents  were  almost  crazy  with  appre- 
hension, and,  falling  on  their  knees,  they 
vowed  that  if  the  monkey  returned  their 

child  to  them 
unharmed,  they 
would  build  a 
shrine  to  the 
Virgin  for  this 

_    S»K^     "  r  .i*»    *^S^^^  j    f 

F 


tower,  and  al- 
ways keep  a 
light  burning 
before  it. 

As  if  in  an- 
swer to  their 
prayers,  the 
monkey,  with- 
out losing  hold 

of   the  child,  clambered  and  slid  down  the 

wall,  and  laid  the  baby  at  his  mother's  feet. 

The  grateful  parents  did  not  forget  their 


222 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

vow,  but  had  an  image  of  the  Virgin  made, 
and  placed  it  on  the  tower.  As  long  as  the 
tower  endures,  the  light  before  the  Madonna 
must  be  kept  burning,  or  else  tower  and 
building  will  pass  from  its  owner  and  become 
the  property  of  the  Roman  Church. 

The  Romans  call  this  tower  "  Torre  della 
Scimia,"  —  the  Monkey's  Tower,  —  but  to 
most  English-speaking  people  it  is  known 
as  "  Hilda's  Tower." 

There  is  a  charming  romance  of  artist  life 
in  Rome  called  "  The  Marble  Faun,"  written 
by  Nathaniel  Hawthorne.  The  name  of  the 
heroine  is  Hilda;  her  studio  was  in  this 
tower,  and  because  of  her  lovable  character 
she  was  appointed  custodian  of  theMadonna's 
shrine,  and  it  was  her  duty  to  keep  the  light 
burning  before  it. 

Some  day  you  will  read  "  The  Marble 
Faun,"  and  it  may  add  to  your  interest  in 
the  story  if  you  remember  why  this  partic- 
ular shrine  to  the  Virgin  Mary  occupies  so 
elevated  a  position. 

223 


RlizabetJts  Charm-String 


"  Do  you  think,"  asked  Margaret  with  a 
very  dubious  expression  on  her  pretty  face, 
"that  we  shall  be  able  to  remember  all  these 
tales  until  we  get  a  chance  to  see  these 


wonderful  things  for 
ourselves  ? " 

"No  doubt,  dear, 
you  will  forget  all 
the  dates  and  most 
of  the  facts,  but  I 
am  quite  sure  you  will  not  forget  the  '  story ' 
parts. 

"  Now,"  continued    Miss    Belle,  "  here   is 
another    curious    charm.      It   looks   like    a 
grotesque  mask,  with  empty  eye  sockets  and 
224 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

partly  opened  mouth.  Its  original  is  the 
'knocker'  on  the  door  of  the  Cathedral  of 
Durham  in  England." 

THE  DURHAM  KNOCKER 
The  knocker  is  very  much  larger  than  a 
man's  head,  and  in  the  old  monastic  days 
its  features  were  lighted  up 
every  night  by  a  torch,  to 
show  travellers  the  way  to 
the  cathedral  and  monastery. 
It  had  another  interesting 
use.  At  this  door  people  who 
were  unjustly  accused  of  any  crime,  or 
criminals  fleeing  from  justice,  could  find 
"sanctuary;"  that  is,  any  real  or  supposed 
sinner  who  could  reach  and  sound  the  Dur- 
ham knocker  before  being  caught  by  his 
pursuers,  was  safe  for  that  time  at  least. 

He  was   taken   into   the   monastery   and 

cared  for  by  the  charitable  monks,  until  his 

case  could  be  investigated.     If  he  was  found 

innocent  in  their  sight,  they  helped  him  on 

is  225 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

his  way  to  safety,  and  I  imagine  that  even 
the  guilty  ones  were  not  always  punished 
as  severely  as  they  deserved. 

Miss  Belle  next  picked  out  a  little  figure 
which  looked  like  a  fifteenth-century  peas- 
ant girl  in  miniature.  It  had  on  a  long 
cloak  ornamented  with  rows  of  tiny  but- 
tons. On  its  head  was  an  oddly  shaped 
cap,  and  around  its  neck  was  a  wide  plaited 
ruffle. 

"  Now  this  article,"  she  said,  "  was  also 
used  by  priests  and  monks,  but  for  a  very 
different  purpose.  This  was  an  instrument 
of  torture  during  the  days  of  the  Inquisition, 
and  it  is  called  the  '  Iron  Virgin  of  Nurem- 
berg.' 

"  Look ! "  she  continued,  and  then  pressed 
one  of  the  little  buttons. 

The  little  image  opened  down  the  centre, 
and  the  girls  saw  that  the  buttons  outside 
were  really  the  heads  of  tiny  spikes  driven 
through  the  figure. 

226 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 


THE  IRON  VIRGIN 

The  victim  of  this  dreadful-looking  Virgin 
was  placed  inside,  and  the  doors  were  closed 
very  slowly.  The  spikes  were  so  arranged 


as  to  pierce  only  the  fleshy  and  least  vital 
parts  of  the  body.  .  If  the  sufferer  confessed 
whatever  the  Inquisitors  desired  to  learn,  he 
or  she  would  be  released  from  the  embrace 
of  the  Virgin ;  if  not,  then  the  doors  would 

227 


Rlizabettis  Charm-String 

be   tightly    closed,  and    the    victim   crushed 
against  the  cruel  points. 

So  seldom  was  the  heart  or  brain  pierced, 
that  to  be  "  embraced  by  the  Iron  Virgin  " 
meant  that  the  sufferer  lingered  in  horrible 
torture  until  the  agony  actually  exhausted 
his  vitality.  Underneath  the  Iron  Virgin 
was  a  trap  door,  through  which  the  body  was 
dropped  when  life  was  extinct. 

The  Iron  Virgin  may  still  be  seen  in  the 
quaint  town  of  Nuremberg,  but,  Heaven  be 
praised,  she  has  for  many  a  long  day  been 
as  harmless  as  the  Durham  knocker. 

"  Here  is  a  little  charm  that  came  from 
Sienna,  one  of  the  famous  'hilltop'  cities 
of  Italy,"  said  Miss  Belle,  picking  out  a  little 
circle  of  golden  rays,  enclosing  the  letters 
"J.  H.  S."  united  in  a  cross-shaped  mono- 
gram. "  This  figure  is  one  you  often  see  in 
Roman  Catholic  and  Episcopal  churches, 
and  the  letters  are  the  initials  of  three 
Latin  words,  meaning  'Jesus,  Saviour  of 
Man.'" 

228 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

THE  CROSS  OF  SAINT  BERNARD 

It  is  the  emblem  of  Saint  Bernardino, 
or  Saint  Bernard  as  we  know  him,  of  Sienna, 
a  famous  Franciscan  monk. 

Some  one  has  aptly  described  the  Francis- 
cans as  the  Salvation  Army  of  the  Middle 
Ages,  and  Saint  Bernard  was  one  of  the 
most  eloquent  preachers  of  this  order,  and 
his  personal  influence  led  many  people  to 
forsake  their  evil  ways.  It  was  frequently 
his  custom,  while  preaching,  to  hold  in  his 
hand  a  tablet  on  which  was  carved  the  name 
of  Jesus,  or  the  letters  "  J.  H.  S.,"  sur- 
rounded by  a  circle  of  gilded  rays. 

One  day  a  man  came  to  Saint  Bernard  in 
great  distress  and  begged  him  to  stop  preach- 
ing for  a  time. 

"  Father,"  he  said,  "  I  earn  my  living  by 
making  cards  and  dice,  but  you  have  per- 
suaded so  many  people  to  stop  gambling 
that  I  no  longer  have  any  trade,  and  am 
almost  penniless." 

229 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

Saint  Bernard  showed  the  man  his  tablet 
and  suggested  that  he  make  others  like  it 
and  sell  them  to  the  people  instead  of  cards. 

Because  of  the  love  and  respect  which 
every  one  felt  for  Saint  Bernard,  the  tablets 
were  in  great  demand,  and  soon  came  to  be 
regarded  as  sacred  memorials  of  this  Fran- 
ciscan monk. 

Another  emblem  of  Saint  Bernard  is  a  little 
green  hill,  made  up  of  three  mounds,  with  a 
crucifix  on  the  top.  This  was  called  in  Italy 
a  "  Monte-di-Pieta,"  or  "  Little  Hill  of  Piety." 

Now  in  those  days  the  people  who  were 
obliged  to  borrow  money  from  Jews  or 
usurers,  were  compelled  to  pay  an  enormous 
interest  on  such  loans.  To  help  the  very 
poor  people,  it  is  said  that  Saint  Bernard 
founded  in  every  large  city  that  he  visited 
what  we  now  call  a  loan-office  or  pawn-shop, 
but  which  is  still  called  in  Italy  a  Monte-di- 
Pieta,  and  in  France  a  Mont-de-Piete.  These 
institutions  were  intended  to  be  purely  chari- 
table in  their  aims,  and  as  the  interest  de- 
230 


Elizabeths   Charm-String 

manded  on  all  kinds  of  loans  was  the  merest 
trifle,  they  proved  very  helpful.  So  when 
you  see  the  three  gold  balls  hanging  over 
the  door  of  a  pawn-shop,  do  not  forget  that 
they  had  their  origin  in  the  three  little  green 
mounds  of  Saint  Bernard's  "Hill  of  Piety." 

Miss  Belle  then  showed  the  little  girls  a 
miniature  bust  of  the  Emperor  Napoleon 
Bonaparte.  "  I  bought  this,"  she  said,  "  be- 
cause of  a  pretty  story  concerning  the  man- 
ner in  which  Napoleon  Bonaparte  acquired 
his  nickname  of  '  Le  Petit  Caporal,'  or  '  The 
Little  Corporal.' " 

THE  LITTLE  CORPORAL 

This  fearless  man  was  not  in  the  habit  of 
flying  from  his  enemies,  but,  according  to  the 
story,  he  had  suffered  a  defeat  at  the  hands 
of  the  Russians,  and  was  retreating,  closely 
followed  by  a  band  of  Cossacks,  who  were 
bent  on  capturing  him. 

A  corporal  or  sergeant  of  the  Emperor's 
own  regiment  was  riding  with  him.  Escape 
231 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 


seemed  impossible,  until  this  soldier,  who  was 
a  man  of  about  the  same  height  and  build 
as  Napoleon,  persuaded  the  latter  to  ex- 
change uniforms  and  horses  with  him.  This 

done,  the  Emperor 
spurred  his  horse 
in  another  direc- 
tion, while  the  cor- 
poral continued  to 
ride  straight  ahead 
along  the  high- 
road. 

The  personal  ap- 
pearance of  Napo- 
leon Bonaparte  was 

well  known,  consequently  the  Cossacks  had 
no  doubt  that  "  the  little  French  officer  riding 
a  white  horse,"  who  had  been  seen  by  the 
country  people  of  whom  they  made  inquiries, 
was  the  man  they  were  trying  to  capture. 

The  corporal  was  overtaken  and  arrested, 
but  the  deception  was  not  detected  until  he 
was  taken  before  the  Russian  general. 
232 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

Imagine  the  chagrin  of  his  captors  when, 
instead  of  the  Emperor  of  France,  they  dis- 
covered that  their  prisoner  was  no  greater 
personage  than  a  corporal  of  the  Emperor's 
Guard.  The  soldier  was  sentenced  to  death, 
and  was  shot  the  next  morning. 

Napoleon  provided  liberally  for  the  family 
of  the  soldier  who  had  sacrificed  his  life  for  his 
general,  and  in  grateful  memory  of  the  deed 
often  appeared  in  the  uniform  of  a  corporal. 

This  Emperor,  who  at  the  height  of  his 
power  was  the  terror  of  every  monarch  in 
Europe,  was  a  very  small  man,  and  the  nick- 
name "  Little  Corporal,"  given  him  by  his 
soldiers,  was  a  very  appropriate  one,  and  to 
Napoleon  Bonaparte's  credit  be  it  said  that 
the  title  was  always  used  affectionately,  never 
in  derision,  for  he  was  ever  the  idol  of  the 
French  army. 

Just  then   old   Caroline  poked   her  head 
inside  the  door  and  called  out,  it  must  be 
confessed  a  trifle  impatiently: 
233 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

"  Mrs.  Staats,  if  the  children  don't  hurry 
up  the  candles  will  all  burn  out." 

"  Candles  !  "  exclaimed  every  one  of  the 
girls  except  Elizabeth. 

"  Yes,  candles,"  she  cried,  her  eyes  dancing 
with  fun.  "  It  is  a  grand  surprise  for  you  all. 
To-day  is  my  birthday,  and  the  candles  are  on 
my  cake.  Hurry  up,  girls  !  " 


234 


CHAPTER  XX 

THE   BIRTHDAY   PARTY 

OFF   the  girls  scampered  into  the 
dining-room,  and    many   "  Ohs !  " 
and  "Ahs!"  were  uttered  at  the 
sight  of  the  feast  spread  before  them. 

In  the  middle  stood  the  birthday  cake, 
with  a  lighted  candle  for  each  year  of  Eliz- 
abeth's life,  and  high  above  these,  in  the 
centre  of  the  cake,  burned  the  "  life  light." 
Elizabeth  herself  had  to  blow  this  one  out,  so 
as  to  make  sure  she  would  live  to  the  next 
birthday ;  then  with  a  long  breath,  a  strong 
breath,  and  a  breath  all  together,  the  other 
girls  blew  out  all  the  "  year "  candles,  and 
so  they  knew  that  Elizabeth  would  meet  with 
no  misfortunes  in  the  coming  year. 

Such   good   things  as  they   had   to   eat; 
everything  schoolgirls  like,  from  olives  to  ice- 
235 


RlizabetKs  Charm-String 

cream.  When  the  time  came  to  cut  the 
birthday  cake,  Elizabeth  inserted  the  knife 
in  the  portion  directly  in  front  of  her.  For 
some  reason  it  would  not  cut,  and  on  inves- 
tigating the  cause,  she  found  that  instead  of 
a  slice  of  cake,  she  was  trying  to  cut  a  little 
box  which  had  her  own  name  on  it. 

She  untied  the  white  ribbon  fastenings, 
and  lo !  and  behold !  there  was  the  white 
leather  box  which  her  Aunt  had  given  to 
Mrs.  Staats  on  the  first  morning  of  the 
visit. 

On  the  cover  was  a  dainty  monogram  — 
"  E.  S."  —  in  green  and  red  coloring,  and 
around  its  edge  was  a  border  of  little  fleurs- 
de-lis.  Inside  on  a  white  satin  bed  lay  the 
prettiest  little  watch  that  ever  gladdened  the 
eyes  of  a  small  girl ;  and  Elizabeth  fairly 
swelled  with  pride  as  Aunt  Belle  fastened 
to  her  dress  the  little  fleur-de-lis  pin,  from 
which  hung  the  long-desired  treasure. 

"  There  you  are,  my  dear.  I  bought  the 
little  watch  in  Paris,  and  that  is  why  I  chose 
236 


Elizabeths  Charm-String 

this  design  for  its  pin.  I  had  the  box  made 
in  Florence,  and  that  is  the  reason  it  too  has 
the  fleur-de-lis  on  it,  for  the  'giglio,'  as  the 
Italians  call  it,  is  the  symbol  of  the  city  of 
Florence,  but  in  France  it  is  really  the  em- 
blem only  of  royalty  or  nobility.  As  to  the 
colors  on  the  box,  you  must  know  that  red, 
white,  and  green  are  the  national  colors  of 
Italy." 

Just  how  it  was  all  managed  only  Miss 
Belle  and  Caroline  could  have  explained,  but 
each  slice  of  that  cake  seemed  to  hold  a 
birthday  souvenir,  and  what  was  stranger 
still,  each  slice  reached  its  proper  owner. 

There  was  a  little  silver  medal  of  Saint 
Genevieve  for  her  modern  namesake ;  an 
Imp  of  Lincoln  stickpin  for  Marie ;  a  dainty 
"  giglio "  brooch,  enamelled  in  the  Italian 
colors,  for  Alma ;  a  little  gold  gondola  for 
Margaret  Nelson ;  while  Mrs.  Curtis  and 
Mrs.  Staats  were  each  remembered  with  a 
coral  lucky  horn. 

"  But,  Aunt  Belle !  "  exclaimed  Elizabeth, 
237 


ElizabetKs  Charm-String 

"  there  does  not  seem  to  be  anything  for  you 
to  remember  my  birthday  by." 

"  Yes,  dear,"  replied  her  Aunt  with  a  smile, 
as  she  glanced  at  the  pretty  scene  and  the 
happy  girls  gathered  about  her,  "  I  have  the 
best  souvenir  of  you  all,  for  I  have  the  mem- 
ory of  your  sweet,  earnest  faces  as  you  lis- 
tened to  my  stories  about  the  '  buttons '  on 

"  ELIZABETH'S  CHARM-STRING." 


238 


New  Illustrated  Editions  of 
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moral  so  that  it 
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mium upon  kind- 
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